


Insomnium

by StygiusCantus



Series: Diamond Given Focus [2]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games), Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Crossover, Dreams, Dreamwalking, Gen, HK Spoilers, Kind of Canon Compliant, Nightmares, also u know that thing where a character's inner demons, appear as dreams and they have to face it, as in it's p compliant w/ su, but w/ how little info there is abt the godseekers in su It's Free Real Estate, post su-movie but pre-future, that's p much what this story is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23522458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StygiusCantus/pseuds/StygiusCantus
Summary: The Gods of Hallownest were powerful and never-fading; yet, they were also dead. When the Godseeker hears that gentle voice singing and feels the power radiating from him, the living power, she becomes determined to attune to his strength.---The Crystal Gems, Greg, and Connie find their 'happily ever after' in ruins when Steven goes to bed one night and doesn't wake up.---Sequel to the one-shot Somnus. Good to read for better context, but not a complete necessity.
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe
Series: Diamond Given Focus [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1692655
Comments: 243
Kudos: 362





	1. Resist

“ _In the city far below,_

_A city of tears, a city of ghosts_

_There’s a place where time just slows,_

_And you forget the world outside…”_

The gentle strumming of a guitar filled the empty house, rising up to the ceiling along with the hot spring’s steam. Steven’s singing was accompanied by the pitter-patter of rain on the glass, a constant backdrop to the ever-raining city. His companion was enraptured by his playing, though he wondered if the other had ever seen or heard a guitar before. Though Ghost’s expression--a perpetual stare with wide black eyes--never changed, their leaning forward and their fixed attention on his fingers showed how engrossed they were in the music. Something about this solemn city gave Steven some inspiration for the first time in months, and he had to share the little song he wrote with Ghost. (He was fortunate that the dream allowed him to conjure up a guitar.)

The two had been sharing dreams for several months by now. Some time every week or so, Steven would find himself in Ghost’s dreams, and the two would just sit and watch the world together. Wherever Ghost lived, it was a hauntingly beautiful place. More frequently they would find themselves in this city of infinite rain, but it seems that Ghost wanted to show Steven some of the places within it. They would always stop by to see that statue in the center: “Memorial to the Hollow Knight.” (Even now, Steven still didn’t understand the significance of it, but it clearly mattered to Ghost.) But now, Ghost would show Steven the high towers of the city, filled with broken furniture but devoid of all life; or he’d show him the abandoned research facility (or that’s what he assumed) that had glowing white mist trapped in glass jars; or, like tonight, Ghost would show Steven the hot spring, and they would stick their feet in (though the dream wouldn’t let them get _wet_ necessarily) and just relax.

“ _We’re drowning in these expectations,_

_And then I’m fighting these thoughts like an invasion,_

_So for just one night,_

_Let’s watch the light_

_With nowhere to go,_

_And a friend at my side…”_

At the word ‘friend,’ Ghost perked up, and they clapped their little nub hands together. Steven giggled and hummed along with the guitar.

It was nice, to be able to take some time to just… _be._

\---

_“O…? Hear it! A power sings, and We hear it! This strength, this light, stronger than any ghost of Gods of these hallowed grounds! Such light! Such radiance! We hear thee, O Gods! We shall attune to thy call!”_

\---

Halfway through the song, Ghost shifted in their place. Something in Ghost’s lap rattled, and they fished around their cloak before pulling out a small bronze object. It was round, with a pointed side, and the center of it glowed white. Steven stopped playing and glanced down at it curiously.

“What’s that? A compass?” 

Ghost shook their head, and they lifted up the object and examined it. The light shone brighter, and brighter, causing Steven to lean back and cover his burning eyes with an arm.

“Ghost, what’s going on?!”

Ghost tossed aside the little object and waved their arms about; they didn’t know, either. The thing shook more violently, clattering against the stone floor, and light only shone more intensely. Pain exploded in Steven’s head, and he screamed and grabbed the sides of his head. The guitar in his lap fell into the water as Steven doubled over. Ghost jumped and rushed to his side, grabbing at his leg.

_“O Divine! We have heard thine call to Us!”_

“Wh--what?!” A voice, a female voice, resounded in his head, like it was coming from within his very skull.

_“Sing more, O God! Let the lowly forms of this world hear thy divine sound! Permit Us to witness thy glorious power, thy beauty!”_

“Wh--what are you--? _Stop!_ ” Steven clenched his jaw as his head pounded, a ringing in his ears. “ _Whatever you’re doing, stop!”_

_“Thou resists…? Do not fear, O Divine! We only wish to give Our shells, our mortal flesh, to thee, to give Our beings to a power such as thee!”_

“Wh--?” Steven hissed in pain; Ghost stepped back and looked around wildly for something, _anything._ “I-I’m not - _I’m not a god!”_

_“Such humility! Such grace! Thy power rings strongest in this ground of dead Gods. Thy strength unmatched, thy radiance never to be outshined!”_

_“STOP IT!”_ No, no, no, this was reminding him too much of Homeworld, too much of those Gems referring to him as a queen or a god, too much of them treating him like a thing and not a person, no no no he didn’t want to go back there, he was _not_ going back there, he was _Steven,_ not _Pink_ , _he wasn’t Pink, HE WASN’T--_

Ghost rushed towards the source of the light, jumped up above it, and became shrouded in pure darkness.

And everything

went

**_SMASH!_ **

black.

\---

“Amethyst? Have you seen Steven this morning?”

Amethyst was sat at the counter, eating a burger--wrapper and all--when Pearl suddenly warped in. Amethyst swallowed the rest in one go and raised a brow.

“Uh, I thought he already left.”

Pearl’s own brow drew into a line, and she crossed her arms. “He was supposed to meet me at Little Homeworld so that we could iron out the details of Little Homeschool, but he never came.”

“So you two haven’t seen Steven either.”

Garnet emerged from her room, arms also crossed. “He’s not anywhere else in the Temple.”

Pearl bit her lip. “You don’t think he’s back in Rose’s room, do you?”

Amethyst leaned back in her chair, arms folded behind her head. “Why would he want to go back there? He hasn’t gone in there in like, two years.”

“Did either of you check upstairs?”

Silence, before Pearl looked sheepishly at Garnet. “W-well, no, but it’s not like Steven to oversleep like this! Especially when it’s almost noon…”

Amethyst hopped off the stool with a ‘hup!’ “Don’t worry, I got this. I’ll make sure he’s all bushy-eyed and bright-tailed.” (That was how it went, right? Right.)

After heading to the top of the stairs, she knocked on the door. “Yo, Ste-man! You awake?” She put her ear to the door: nothing. She knocked again, this time harder. “ _Hey, Steven!_ I’m _trying_ to respect your privacy or something, but if you’re gonna do this…!” Nothing. Pearl and Garnet were at her sides now, and a layer of tension fell over the three. Steven wasn’t that hard of a sleeper anymore, for better or worse. Amethyst pushed the trap door up to see a lump wrapped in a blanket on Steven’s bed. She put a finger to her lips to signal Garnet and Pearl before she slowly, sloooowly began to head towards the bed. Steven was, in fact, still in bed, curled up on his side with his face half-mushed into a pillow and his hair sticking out in odd places.

Amethyst, grinning wide (she absolutely wasn’t pushing it further because of anxiety, _absolutely_ not), promptly turned into a tuba, and let out a tremendous **_“HOOOOOOONK!”_ **

Pearl clamped her hands over her ears (or where they would be), while Garnet stood unfazed, as usual. The room vibrated with the sound, knocking over a couple things from the shelf. Pearl let out a yelp before rushing to catch the TV in her arms.

“ _Amethyst!”_

Amethyst opened her mouth to retort, but any words died in her throat as she shapeshifted back. Steven still slept. He didn’t even move. Pearl shoved the TV back on its stand before exchanging worried looks with Garnet and Amethyst.

“Steven…?” Pearl reached out and grabbed his shoulder (he was still warm), gently shaking him. Nothing. “ _Steven…!”_ She shook him harder. Nothing.

“Wh…?” Thousands of thoughts bombarded Pearl’s brain, each one worst than the last. “Why isn't he--He’s not waking up. _Why isn’t he waking up?!”_

“Steven?” Amethyst leaned over the bed, gripping the edge hard. “This isn’t funny, dude!”

Garnet, shaking slightly, stepped to the other side of the bed and rolled Steven onto his back. Gently, she shifted his arm and blanket, and she put her ear to his chest.

_Ba-dunk. Ba-dunk._

“His heart’s still beating.”

Pearl knelt down and watched Steven’s chest, as it rose and fell. “He’s still breathing, too…”

“So why the heck isn’t he waking up?!” Amethyst threw her arms in the air and began to pace in a circle. “Maybe - is he just messing with us? Is this because I ate your sandwich yesterday?! I already told you I was sorry, dude!”

“Pearl.” Garnet’s voice took on that terse tone, one that Pearl came to know as the ‘I’m seconds away from screaming’ tone. “Call Greg. We need to get Steven help, _now.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me? finishing things? never heard of her  
> (aka i've had this idea bouncing around in my head ever since i wrote that first one-shot and i've finally put it into a form that i feel is cohesive and i'm rlly excited to share)


	2. Storms

Thunder rumbled above them as the Knight pushed Steven’s body into the mouth of a tunnel, out of the rain. Wind whipped their cloak around, and icy pricks of rain coated their shell. They didn’t mind, but they had a shell. Steven didn’t. He had those strange fabrics, but his fleshy head and hands were exposed. The Knight wasn’t that strong, but they pushed and shoved at Steven’s body until he was (at least somewhat) protected under the cover of rock. Only upon making sure that he was safe did the Knight sit next to him and wait for him to wake.

They weren’t in Hallownest anymore. The Knight didn’t recognize this place at all. It was a wasteland of rock spires and cracked boulders, constantly pelted by heavy rain and illuminated only by lightning. How did they even get here? 

The Godseeker had to have brought them here. Somehow, the Godseeker had been summoned by Steven--but how? The Knight knew that Wyrms were powerful beings, but did the same really hold true for Steven? The most power he had shown was being able to connect with others through dreams. ‘Powers,’ he had mentioned before. What powers? Cold filled their body as they slowly, surely realized that they knew so very little about their friend.

They shook their head, droplets flying from the tips of their horns. No. Steven was a friend. They wanted to protect their friend.

The Godseeker was summoned by Steven and tried to attune to him via the Godtuner. They knew that much. Why did it glow and shake like that? Was it Steven’s resistance to being attuned to that made it act so odd? Steven was in pain, so the Knight had to…

They pulled the broken pieces of the Godtuner from their cloak; the remains had been beside them when they regained consciousness. 

Steven stirred beside them, and the Knight jumped to their feet as Steven pushed himself up. “Ugh, my  _ head… _ ” He cracked open his eyes, and he raised a brow at the Knight. “Ghost? What happened? Who…?” Steven surveyed the area as he shifted to a sitting position, and the Knight only shrugged. “Ugh… well, whoever that was, at least she’s gone. What was  _ with _ her? She was calling me a ‘god,’ but…” He shook his head with a sigh. “Whatever. Where are we? We’re still  _ here, _ so we’re still dreaming…”

Steven fell silent, and both he and the Knight strained to listen beyond the rain and thunder. Something lay beneath the sound of storms; it sounded like… sobbing? It was distant and warbled; it was coming from down the tunnel. Steven gave the Knight a look, and they nodded. Steven stood and headed down the dark tunnel, with the Knight racing after him on stubby legs. Steven didn’t seem to notice how wide his strides were until the Knight had to start dashing to keep up, and he stopped with a sheepish giggle.

“Oh - sorry, Ghost.” Before he could say anything else, the Knight hopped into the air, fluttered up higher with their wings, and landed belly-first on Steven’s soft head of hair. Steven himself giggled again. “That’s one way to keep up. Just be careful holding on. Don’t want to get blown away.” The Knight gently patted the top of Steven’s head in reassurance, and Steven continued forward.

The tunnel gave way to another open path, and Steven put up an arm to protect himself and the Knight from the oncoming rain. Something sparkled on his arm, and a translucent, pink shield appeared on Steven’s arm. The Knight stared in awe, taking in the rich color. (Some type of symbol was emblazoned in the center--a flower? They had never seen a flower like that before.) 

“There. That should keep us a little drier…”

The Knight shuffled and squished themselves against Steven’s head, trying to stay underneath cover as much as possible. Steven’s squishy foot-covers  _ flip-flopped _ against the slick stone. The sobbing grew louder as they walked, even over the pouring rain. The path grew narrower as they ducked behind a cliff, only to expand again once they passed it.  


Steven stopped and gasped.

Looming over them were two gigantic corpses of bugs, bigger than any bug the Knight had ever seen before. Their round, segmented bodies were curled up behind them, and their brittle antennae hung in their faces like wet grass. Their eyes were covered by shadow, only revealed by the occasional flash of lightning.

Between the bodies was the Godseeker, crouched over a battered old mask on the ground, weeping. She whipped around upon hearing Steven’s voice, and the Knight flinched under her shaking glare. There was a look of rage and bloodthirst in those dark eyes that the Knight had only ever seen in the Infected. A large crack ran through the crest on her mask.

“ _ Thou worms! Brutes! Savages! _ ” she screamed over the thunder. “Thou hast ruined Us! The Godtuner, destroyed! Godhome,  _ gone! _ Our home-- _ My _ home--cast into oblivion! I… I cannot find anyone! My own mind has gone silent! Us, the Godseekers, are no longer Us, but  _ Me!” _ (Was it the rain that ran down her face, or tears?) “Our endless travel, Our sacred combat, Our ascension! All was for naught! Because of  _ thine destruction! _ ”

“What are you  _ talking about?!” _ Steven dared to take a step closer. “I don’t know what you mean! You were doing something weird to me while calling me a ‘god,’ and now we’re here!”

“Pah!” The Godseeker’s voice burned stronger than the acid lakes of Hallownest. “A powerful God, but foolish nonetheless! Thine power grants thee no knowledge of the crawler upon thine own head!”

“Wha--” Steven raised his head, just a little. “Ghost? Do you know her?”

After a moment’s pause, the Knight nodded. Their legs and torso ran cold--what was this emotion called again? Regret. Godhome was… gone.

“The creeper upon thine skull destroyed the Godtuner! Gone! Obliterated! Such wanton destruction of the sacred Godtuner, threaded with thy own resistance of mind, severed My connection to Godhome! Look upon the break of My mind! What was once a dream is now just a fragment of memory! Thou hast taken  _ everything _ from Me!”

Godhome was gone, and it was  _ their  _ fault.

The Godseeker fell forward, their body wracked with sobs. Steven’s expression softened to one of regret, and he carefully stepped closer to her, a hand outstretched towards her.

“I - I-I’m so sorry, w-we didn’t…” Steven’s voice was drowned out by the storm, and his arm fell to his side. What could even be said?

The Godseeker spoke again, voice bitter. “Our Gods abandoned us. We were left alone, lost, without guidance in this barren Land of Storms. We became One to protect Ourselves, and to search for the songs of the divine. That is what led Us to Hallownest, full of the ghosts of Gods, dead but unfading. But upon feeling thy power, We knew what had to be done… Lo! Gods even stronger than those of Hallownest! We were to ascend even higher. We were to be complete once again!”

The world began to shake, and Steven took a defensive stance while the Knight held tighter onto his head. The ground began to dissipate into dream particles.

“All has been lost. Our Gods, our dreams, our Home. Now… now, there is only I.” The Godseeker straightened herself as light pooled behind her mask. “I…  _ I _ am the last of the Godseekers.  _ And I shall show thee the suffering thou hast showed Me!” _

The dream particles blew up into the air like smoke. Steven reached up a hand to keep the Knight pressed to his head with the other holding the shield out in front of him. The light grew brighter, and brighter, too bright too bright  _ too bright-- _

\---

_ “Dost thou desire freedom from this dream? Earn it! Earn thy right to the waking world! Wade through times passed to challenge Me! Prove thy strength of heart and mind! Win thy lives, or lose them trying!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bangs pots and pans together, I Don't Know How The Fuck To Write The Godseeker's Dialogue  
> hooogh i'm not the proudest of this but Here We Are  
> i don't want to get stuck on this bc one of my biggest issues w/ writing is getting Stuck and i don't Want That so sometimes you just gotta be done w/ it and move on to the next part


	3. Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie arrives at the hospital.

The door to the hospital room flew open and banged against the wall. A haggard-looking Connie leaned on the doorframe, chest heaving, hair messy, eyes wide. Her sword was strapped to her back more out of habit of bringing it than anything. Her heart dropped. The Crystal Gems and Greg were crowded around Steven, who was peacefully asleep on the hospital bed. Greg had called Connie earlier, and she immediately dropped everything and ran to the hospital.

Connie gulped down a breath. “H-how is he?” 

Greg’s eyes, heavy and tired, turned from Connie back to Steven. “Your mom told us that he’s stable, at least. No one knows why he’s not waking up. Says vitals are fine, and they’re planning to do more stuff to check his brain in case it’s...” The words died in his tightening throat.

Connie’s eyes stung. “Oh, no...” She walked forward through the ache in her legs, and she sat down on a spare stool next to Pearl. Pearl wrapped her arm around Connie’s shoulders and pulled her into a side-hug.

…

…

…

Amethyst broke the silence. “So… what are we gonna do?”

Garnet put a stiff hand on her shoulder.

“All we can do is wait.”

\---

“Well… we got the PET scan results back.”

Priyanka Maheswaren, carrying a clipboard, approached Steven’s family as they waited outside of the scanner room. Everyone was holding onto each other in some way, whether holding hands or hugging someone’s shoulder to clutching someone’s arm. It was all they could do to keep themselves grounded.

Pearl raised a brow. “What… does a domesticated animal have anything to do with this?”

Priyanka sighed. “No, not  _ pet _ as in the animal _ , _ ‘P-E-T,’ positron emission tomography. It’s a brain imaging technique that allows us to see activity in the brain. If anything is happening brain-activity wise, we would see it.”

“Well?” Greg’s voice was wavering, fragile. “What’s the test say?”

“ _ Well, _ the good news is that Steven isn’t comatose. In fact, these results make it difficult to conclude that he’s even unconscious.” Priyanka held up the printed image scans, showing dark blues surrounded by a ring of bright orange and red. “Here you can see the scans of his brain that we took. Oranges and reds show high levels of brain activity. The activity here is comparable to a person who’s fully conscious.”

“Wait - wait!” Connie’s eyes went wide in realization. “He’s astral projecting again!”

“I’m sorry he’s  _ what?” _

“Steven has dream powers, Mom! He can send his consciousness to somewhere else completely when he’s asleep!”

Amethyst huffed. “Yeah, but it’s never been for  _ this _ long, has it?”

Connie rubbed her arm. “I mean… it took almost a full day when we were on Homeworld. But that was because Steven was trying to reach Bismuth… he had a  _ goal. _ What could be keeping him?”

“Whatever it is, we have to trust Steven.” There was an underlying tension to Garnet’s voice, and Connie wondered how hard Garnet was trying to keep herself together. She was trying to be the voice of reason, the leader. No one knew what to do now. Garnet felt that someone at least had to  _ sound _ like they did. “What we do now is wait for him to wake up, and then he can tell us all about what happened.”

They hated the idea. They all hated the idea of just having to  _ wait. _

But what else could they do?

\---

They took shifts to watch over Steven. Work still had to be done, though no one really had the will to do it. Connie got the night shift after a slight argument with her mother; not even Priyanka had the heart to tear Connie away from her best friend who was in the hospital and unable to be woken.

Connie didn’t mind the hospital most days. Sure, it was noisy and burned with disinfectant, but there were seldom times that she actively loathed being there. The only other time she could remember was when she was little and her dad got caught in a shoot-out at work. He was lucky and only got nicked in the leg, but both her mother and Connie herself were beside themselves with worry. It was then that Connie understood patients’ anxiety and dread concerning hospitals, because while her fortunate father got to walk out alive and well, others were not nearly as lucky.

This visit, though, filled her with nothing but anxiety and dread. Steven was out there, somewhere in the universe, and who knows what could be happening to him? He could be hurt or trapped or completely alone and lost or--

She shook her head. No, no, she needed to stop that train of thought before she started to spiral. Deep breath in… deep breath out. Her fingers were laced with the sleeping Steven’s, and had been ever since she started her shift. She looked over at Steven; he looked just so peaceful. He looked ready to wake up at any moment and wonder why he was in the hospital and why everyone was so worried about him, and just laugh all of this off.  


“Steven…” Connie reached out her free hand and brushed a stray curl from his forehead. Her fingertips lingered on his skin a moment before she cupped his cheek. “... I don’t know if you can hear me, but…” Her eyes burned, and her vision blurred. “... We’re not going anywhere, okay? We’re here with you. We’re gonna be right here when you wake up.” A couple tears drop, dropped onto the tile floor. “...  _ Please wake up, Steven.” _

The light outside was long gone, and through her tears, Connie yawned. Surely, Steven wouldn’t mind if she just… laid her head down a minute. Sleeping on each other wasn’t uncommon with them. Connie folded one arm under her head and laid her head down on Steven’s chest. She could feel the gentle rise and fall of his breaths, hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. It gave her some kind of comfort--Steven was still alive, and he would be back. She knew he would.  


Connie took one last look at Steven before her eyes fluttered shut.

“... Goodnight, Steven.”

\---

Connie awoke to the sounds of battle.

Her instincts instantly kicked her awake, and she shot to her feet, looking around for the source of the fight. She was in… Steven’s house? No, that wasn’t right. His old bedroom was still there, and the expansions were missing. The wooden floor had been replaced with bluish-gray stone, and the center of the house held a pool of steaming water, with a metal bench next to it. Broken lights hung from the ceiling in old chandeliers. The temple door was missing, with a large hole leading out to some bright light in its place. The sounds of a fight--of clanging metal, of hearty shouts--came from the light.

Dreaming. She had to be dreaming, right? But where  _ was _ she?

Her stomach flipped as she heard a shout.

_ “Ghost, look out!” _

“Steven?!” That had to be his voice. Connie reached behind her; her sword was still with her.

Unsheathing her sword, Connie launched forward and ran into the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ehehehehehe  
> (also if u wanna see the thrilling* adventures of these chapters being made i recently remade a personal tumblr under same name as my account name here  
> there i yell abt the process of writing fics while also dropping cryptic hints abt future stuff)
> 
> *adventures are not in fact thrilling


	4. Roll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and the Knight begin their battle.

“So I just... put these on?”

Ghost nodded and pushed four of the little pins towards Steven. The two were in a strange mix of Steven’s old room and the city of rain, and were sat in front of a metal bench. Turns out that Ghost could hide a lot within that cloak of theirs, and they had a wide assortment of little charms with them. That bug--the Godseeker--talked about battle, and it seemed like these charms were part of how Ghost prepped for battle. (Steven had to admit that he was  _ very _ curious to see what Ghost was like in combat.)

The charms were small, no bigger than a quarter. Two of them appeared to be encased in glass; one of them glowed dimly with blue light; the last was a design of dull bronze coils. Each one had a pin on the back of it. As Steven examined the charms, Ghost put on several of their own: a silver shield, a glass orb in between a pair of wings, a hollowed-out snail shell, and an equally-hollow stone of spirals. Steven’s eyes were drawn to one in particular, though, that they never took off: a black head with blank white eyes.

He forced his eyes back to his own group of charms. No, staring was rude. 

Putting on the charms, Steven felt… different. The bronze one made his feet feel heavier. The glowing one filled his vision with blue a moment, before it vanished.

“Wh--whoa… Ghost, what  _ are _ these?” Ghost looked up at him before pulling out a map from their cloak. They flipped it onto its blank side, procured a quill from their endless pockets, and scribbled out a drawing. They pointed at the blue charm now on Steven’s jacket, and then to their stick figure, which was now in a circle.

Blink.

Steven giggled sheepishly. “... S-sorry, I still don’t really get it.” Ghost stared at him blankly, before they suddenly lashed out with their blade, striking Steven’s arm. “Wh-- _ hey! _ What the heck was  _ that _ for--?!”

He gasped when he looked at his arm and saw a light barrier of blue hovering over his arm, bleeding blue, before it sealed up again. Ghost slashed once, twice more, and the barrier broke in an explosion of blue goo. Steven hid behind his other arm, the blue goo splashing onto his sleeve before vanishing into thin air.

Ghost jumped up onto the bench and patted the spot next to it; Steven raised his brow, but sat next to Ghost regardless. A strange sense of calm washed over him, and looking at his arm, the blue barrier returned in full before fading from sight.

“Whoa…” Steven grinned, stars gleaming in his eyes. “That’s so cool!”

Ghost excitedly kicked their legs, before they hopped back down and picked up their map and quill. Steven also joined them on the ground and eagerly stuck on the rest of the charms.

“What do the rest of these do?”

Ghost pointed to one of the charms in glass and, after a second of thinking, flexed their little arms. 

Steven giggled again. “So that makes me stronger?” Ghost nodded, and then pointed to the other glass charm. This time, they hit their chest (though it strangely didn’t make any noise?) “Oh - so that one makes me tougher!”

Another excited nod, and Ghost bounced in place in joy. Something caught their attention, though, and they pulled at Steven’s sleeve and pointed toward the glowing door. Steven’s amused smile slid off his face, replaced by a determined stare.

“Right - we need to get out of here. We'll figure out what the others do in a bit.” A pause, before Steven’s voice lowered slightly. “Ghost… this place here is a mix of something from both your life  _ and _ mine. And the Godseeker mentioned ‘going through times passed…’ Do you think that they mean…  _ our _ times?”

Without hesitation, Ghost nodded, but Steven had to wonder why. Maybe they knew something about the Godseeker that he didn’t. After all, they had (and then broke) that ‘Godtuner’ the Godseeker mentioned…

Ugh. His head hurt. He felt like a child again, being caught in the middle of things he didn’t understand with everyone around him speaking in riddles. But he couldn’t blame Ghost, at least. It seems that Ghost  _ couldn’t _ talk.

“Ghost…” A seed of guilt nestled in Steven’s stomach. “Can… you write? Just to ask!”

Ghost shook their head. 

“Oh - i-it’s okay, I just wanted to ask in case you could…” That seed of guilt bloomed when Steven saw Ghost lower their head. “O-oh, no, I-I’m sorry Ghost, I didn’t mean to…”

Again, they shook their head, and they reached out to gently touch Steven’s leg. They stared up at him intently, and Steven felt an aura of understanding in their gaze. He pushed aside the guilt and managed a smile, kneeling down to gently pat Ghost’s head in return. If Ghost couldn’t  _ tell _ him, then maybe there could be another way to figure this out.

“Thanks, Ghost. Now let’s go!”

Ghost nodded before jumping up onto Steven’s shoulder, and the two walked into the light.

\---

Steven’s heart dropped the moment that the light subsided. “Oh, no.”

The two were in some kind of arena, with barren bleachers and an empty throne overseeing it all. The walls were made of red sandstone, striped with oranges and yellows, with dug-out holes serving as makeshift cages. A couple of Injectors lay broken at the top of the arena.

Steven’s voice was low. “The Beta Kindergarten…”

The ground shook as something slammed into the dirt up ahead, and when the dust subsided, a lone figure stood ahead of them. Long white hair, orange skin, hornless and spotless--

“ _ Jasper.” _

Jasper’s eyes settled on Steven, and her lip curled into a snarl. “ _ YOU!” _ Light formed around her head before her helmet materialized.

Ghost jumped from Steven’s shoulder and landed in front of him, and they brandished their blade. Steven summoned one of his shields and took a similar stance. His chest broiled with anxiety. He remembered that day clearly: he, Amethyst, and Peridot went to the Beta Kindergarten, only to find Jasper and her captured army of corrupted Gems. But they only won against Jasper because he and Amethyst fused into Smoky Quartz.

But then again, that was over two years ago.

Jasper charged directly at Steven, who blew up his shield to massive size and hid behind it. Jasper’s helmet clanged loudly against it, and Steven’s body leaned backwards from the force of the impact… but his feet remained planted in place. Was that from one of the charms Ghost gave him? He put a foot behind him, gaining a better-balanced stance, and held the shield firm.

For a split-second, his resolve fizzled. Steven caught a glimpse of Jasper’s eyes; though they were wild with rage, as he had seen so many times before, there was nothing else behind them. No light, no life. They were just… empty.

Ghost dashed forward,  _ through _ the shield as they were momentarily cloaked in shadows, leaped into the air, and dove downards. Black and white energy engulfed them, and Jasper hissed as the energy burned her legs. With her distracted, Steven pushed the shield forward, knocking Jasper back and away from them. The new distance let Ghost fire a shot of black energy at her, the same thing that they used to free Steven during a nightmare.

Jasper pushed herself off the ground with an enraged growl and curled into a ball, spinning faster and faster until she shot toward Steven and Ghost. Steven jumped high into the air, suspended, while Ghost once more dashed straight through Jasper. But Jasper kept going, her momentum bringing her up the side of one of the arena walls and back into the air. Steven could barely turn around before Jasper hit him directly in the gut and pushed him back toward the opposite wall. The wall broke beneath the force of the hit, and Jasper kept spinning and pushing him further into the rock. Pain seared across Steven’s body from the pressure alone, even as the now-cracking blue barrier kept him from the scratching.

Jasper was suddenly knocked back by an unearthly wail; Steven saw the ghosts of screaming faces for only a second before they vanished, and Ghost landed neatly on the ground. He was covered in that glowing blue substance, before that vanished, too.

Jasper turned her attention to Ghost, spinning in the air and shooting towards them. Though they dashed through her again, she quickly spun back around and hit them in the back, knocking them into the air. She made another sharp turn on the ground before flying upwards toward Ghost. Steven gasped and kicked off the edge of the hole, grabbing Ghost in midair and putting a spiked bubble around the two of them. Jasper gasped and tried to stop herself, but her momentum was too strong.

“Gghk--!”

Steven’s eyes widened in horror as Jasper landed spread-eagle against the bubble, one of the spikes jutting through her chest. Guilt rose in Steven’s chest, guilt he thought he had long come to terms with, and his eyes shined.

“Jasper... I-I’m--!”

Her form exploded into a cloud of those strange particles he saw with the Godseeker, and only her gem was left to fall to the ground. Steven floated down gently, and the bubble disappeared before he fell to his knees in front of Jasper’s gem.

Ghost, held in Steven’s arms, looked at the gem in curiosity before looking back up at Steven. They placed a freezing hand on his chest, both the gesture and the cold shocking Steven out of his stupor.

“O-oh - right, sorry. We need to focus on getting out of here. Besides, this… this wasn’t real. That wasn’t the real Jasper.” He gave a small smile to Ghost. “... Thanks.” Ghost lightly patted Steven’s chest.

Suddenly, the two braced themselves as strong light overtook them.

\---

The light finally faded, and Steven blinked a few times to let his eyes adjust to the dark.

“We’re… back here?” Once more they were in that weird mix of his old room and Ghost’s city. Ghost wiggled out of Steven’s grasp and jumped into the hot spring. Steven giggled as Ghost splashed around a bit, and he sat on the bench. Already he could feel the aches in his body fade, and the blue barrier reappeared over his stomach this time before disappearing. Steven’s grin grew. Who knew a bench could have healing powers?

“Alright - come on up, Ghost, so you can heal up!”

Ghost shook their head before tapping the top of the water. Steven hummed, but shrugged. He supposed that the hot spring was there for _some_ reason. Maybe it had some properties that only worked for Ghost?

After a minute or two of wading in the water, Ghost popped back onto the floor, the water rolling off of their cloak like it was made of duck feathers. They took their place on Steven’s shoulder, and once more they headed out into the doorway of light.

\---

The arena was once more empty, this time surrounded by bronze columns and golden laurels. Broken blades, similar to Ghost’s, littered the ground. Six shells of large bugs, reaching to about Steven’s chest, lay scattered across the arena, and a swarm of glowing orange flies floated above them.

Steven’s brow drew together. “... Ew.” Ghost shifted slightly, their attention fixed on the bodies. “Do you know these things, Ghost?” They nodded. “I don’t know how we’re gonna take down a swarm of flies…”

They poked Steven’s cheek, and then shook their head. They pointed a nub arm up to the flies, and then down to the shells. Steven’s eyes narrowed in thought.

“Oh - the flies are gonna… possess the shells?” Ghost nodded. “Oh, great, we have to fight all six of them at once?!” Another shake of their head, before they held up both of their hands. Steven blinked. “Um… only  _ five, _ then?” Again they shook their head, and they tapped twice on Steven’s cheek. “Oh - only two at a time!” Ghost nodded enthusiastically. “Okay, that’s  _ way _ better. Ready?”

Ghost nodded one last time before hopping to the floor in front of Steven. The flies seemed to notice the movement, and a cluster of them flew down into one of the empty shells. It, clutching a huge blade, shot to its feet with a roar that sent chills up and down Steven’s body. There was just something so…  _ off _ about that roar. It sounded like a ghost wailing, some old spirit desperately seeking to be heard.

The shell curled up into a ball and spun, the tip of its blade turning it into a spinning saw blade. Steven jumped over it, while Ghost dashed through it. It stood again for a moment, before it curled and spun again, this time bouncing like a ball. It flew into the air, and Steven tucked and rolled beneath it before it crashed into him. Ghost was not as lucky, getting knocked away by the bug’s blade.

“ _ Ghost!” _ Steven didn’t have much time to react, though, and he put up a shield to prevent the bug from rolling into him. Ghost stood at the edge of the arena, hunched over, before their body flashed white. Immediately they headed back into the fray, shooting black energy at the bug to gain its attention. 

“Ghost, look out!” Steven once more shoved the bug away, and Ghost fluttered over it before striking down with their blade.

Light shone behind him.

“Steven?!”

Steven stopped dead in his tracks. He knew that voice anywhere.

“ _ Connie?!” _

Steven whipped around to where they had entered, and the door was once again open, with Connie Maheswaren standing in it, sword at the ready. Steven’s heart thudded strangely, something it had taken habit to whenever he saw Connie recently.

Connie gasped. “Steven,  _ duck!” _ In his shock, his shield had fallen, and the bug was once again barrelling towards him. Connie rushed out in front of him and took a heavy swing of her sword. The two blades met with a  _ shiiiiing! _ and the bug rolled backwards toward Ghost. Ghost dashed out of its way, and kept dashing until they were next to Steven.

“Connie, how - what are you--” He didn’t even know what to say. Too many words, and not enough time in the midst of battle to say them.

“Later!” Connie widened her stance, sword pointed toward the bug. “Let’s finish this guy first!” As soon as she spoke, another clump of flies flew into one of the shells, and it stood with an identical mighty roar to the first. Connie blinked. “... Okay, let’s finish  _ these _ guys first.”

For the first time, her eyes traveled to Ghost, and she gasped (as Ghost gave her their usual blank stare). Steven put up a hand.

“It’s okay! They’re a friend!”

Connie smiled and nodded. “Got it! Now let’s do this!”

Steven matched her smile. Oh, how he loved that about her. It didn’t matter how weird or crazy the situation was--Connie was always willing to throw her all into it.

The first bug started to bounce again, while the one on their other side revved up to roll. Steven and Connie stood back-to-back, with Ghost at their sides. Steven held a shield above them, and the first bug bounced off of it like a ball. Connie once more hit the other bug away, and Ghost fired another one, two, three bouts of energy at it when it was far enough.

Bounce, block, roll, hit. It seemed like a simple plan, with a steady rhythm, but it was obvious that the three of them were getting nowhere with this strategy. Steven was just about to voice then when Connie spoke up.

“Wait! I have an idea! Steven--can you use your shield to catch the bugs?” She looked down at Ghost. “And can you do that… magic thing from up in the air?” Ghost nodded, and Connie and Steven exchanged grins.

They kept keeping the bugs away as they rolled toward them, swatting them back like tennis balls. Finally, both bugs bounced into the air at the same time. Steven summoned a shield--backwards this time, so it was curved toward them instead of away--and caught the bugs in it.

Connie picked up Ghost and (rather gently) tossed them into the air. They flapped their wings to get above them, and Steven quickly grabbed Connie’s arm and pulled them out from beneath the shield. Ghost slammed down into the shield, and the bugs cracked in a burst of orange, black, and white. Steven’s shield hit the ground, crushing two of the empty shells beneath it.

The orange flies rushed out of the broken shells, and flew towards the two remaining ones.

“Oh  _ no _ you don’t!” Connie and Steven ran toward one of the quickly-filling shells. Steven ran out several feet ahead of her, summoned another shield, and knelt. Connie stepped up on the shield, and Steven launched her into the air. With a hearty yell, Connie divebombed the shell, stabbing it directly through the stomach and cracking it.

Though the other shell filled with flies, Ghost ran back towards Steven and Connie while carrying its giant blade over their head. They ran a little  _ too _ fast, though, and nearly fell over before Steven caught them with a laugh. 

“Nice thinking, Ghost!” Steven took the blade from a slightly-bouncing Ghost and threw it into the empty stands.

The bug glanced around, looking for another weapon, but it was already too late. Steven, Connie, and Ghost were already charging it. Connie and Ghost moved in tandem, slashing at the bug while Steven kept it in place.

Part of him felt guilty. The bug was defenseless against not one but  _ two _ people with swords, and  _ he _ was the one preventing it from running. It seemed cruel. Unfair. But these bugs weren’t real… they were from Ghost’s memories. And the shells were only that: shells. They were being controlled by those weird flies, and  _ they _ weren’t being hurt.

But…

The fight was over before Steven could consider whether to drop the shield or not. The shell burst with that sickly orange color, and the flies left through its hollow eyes. They joined the rest of the swarm, and within seconds, the swarm faded as thought it was never there.

Connie was tense for a couple seconds after, staring down the broken shells to make sure that none were getting up. When she was satisfied, she let out a breath, sheathed her sword, and promptly tackled Steven with a hug, one he swiftly returned.

“Steven! You’re okay!”

“Yeah - why wouldn’t I be?” He and Connie held each other at arms’ length, and Steven’s smile gained a hint of concern.

“You wouldn’t wake up - the Gems and your dad took you to the hospital--”

“Wait, I’m in the  _ hospital?!” _

“Your body’s fine! But you won’t wake up… is this why? What’s going on?”

Steven sighed, suddenly aware of the slight soreness in his limbs. “I really don’t know, Connie. There’s this weird bug thing called the Godseeker and they want to ‘attune’ to me and they seem to know Ghost and we think they’re making us go through our memories and--”

Connie held a finger to Steven’s lips. “Wait, wait. Slow down. One thing at a time.” She let go of him and glanced down at Ghost. “You said this was your friend?”

“Oh! Yeah--Connie, this is Ghost. They’re a friend of mine. Ghost, this is Connie, my best friend.”

Ghost waved an arm in greeting. Connie giggled and waved back.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ghost!”

Ghost nodded, and before Connie could ask, Steven whispered, “Ghost can’t talk.”

“Oh, I see. Okay, so what are you doing  _ here _ then?”

“I could ask you the same thing! How are you here? This is a dream!”

Connie’s cheeks became dusted with red. “We’re all taking shifts watching over you in the hospital. I... kind of fell asleep on you, I think.” Steven’s own face heated up slightly. “So maybe being near you let me in here?”

Steven sighed and shrugged. “Maybe. Anything’s possible with my powers at this point.”

“Alright, well - what’s going on? Why are you and Ghost here?”

“I don’t know - all I know is that there’s someone called the Godseeker who won’t let us leave until we beat her.”

“And… she’s making you go through you memories to do so?”

“I guess? We fought Jasper earlier--well, a memory of her--and Ghost said that they knew these other bugs.”

Connie put a hand to her chin. “So… maybe these dreams are connected to memories? Since that last room was  _ your _ room, but different?”

“Yeah--it was a mix of my room and one of the cities from where Ghost is from.”

“Well, what happened before you guys got here?”

“Ghost and I sometimes share dreams. We’re not sure why. We were just hanging out when the Godseeker’s voice showed up, and then Ghost had something called a Godtuner, and they broke it, which I  _ think _ was to get the Godseeker away from us, and then the Godseeker started talking about some weird stuff, and she said that the only way we could wake up was to beat her.”

“Hmm… If you two were  _ sharing _ a dream, then maybe the Godseeker was dreaming, too?”

Ghost jumped up and waved their hands to grab Steven and Connie’s attention, and they nodded fervently.

Steven’s brows raised high. “Ghost, do you know where the Godseeker is in real life?”  Another excited nod. “That’s great! But…” Steven rubbed the back of his neck. “How are you going to tell us?”

Ghost reached inside their cloak and rummaged around for something.

_ "INTRUDER!” _

Just as the Godseeker’s voice boomed over them, Connie let out a shriek and collapsed to her knees, holding her head.

“ _ Connie!” _ Steven instantly dropped to her side. “What’s wrong?!”

“My… head…!”

_ “Thou has intruded upon a sacred trial! None from the outside shall defile it! Begone! Begone!” _

Those strange particles started to come off of Connie’s body, and Steven moved himself in front of her to grab her hands.

“I think she’s trying to kick you out of the dream!”

Connie growled in frustration. “No! I won’t…!” But it was clear this was a battle she was losing. She tightly grasped Steven’s hands, and she gave him an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry, Steven--”

“Don’t apologize! Look, we’re gonna make it through this. Together.”

“I-I’ll - I’ll try to find the Godseeker! M-maybe if I wake her up, sh-she’ll let you go!”

Ghost grabbed something from their cloak and pulled at Connie’s sleeve before pointing to her hand. She let go of one of Steven’s hands and gingerly offered it to Ghost. They put something in her hand that she closed her fingers around too quickly for Steven to see.

Connie grasped Steven’s hand tighter as the particles grew heavier. “I--I’ll be back for you, Steven! I promise!”

Steven smiled softly. “I know you will.”

\---

Connie awoke in the hospital with a gasp.

One of her hands was still clutched in the sleeping Steven’s.

The other, when she opened it, held a small red-and-silver seal that looked like a bug with wings and a sharp crown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy shit this chapter was long but im actually proud of this one  
> also in case i wasn't clear (bc steven doesn't know charm names fkjghsk) here's the loadout:  
> the knight: longnail, spell twister, soul eater, shaman stone (and ofc void heart)  
> steven: fragile heart, fragile strength, steady body, lifeblood core


	5. Hallownest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie learns about the mysterious seal.

When Garnet came in for her shift to watch over Steven, Connie only gave her a brief goodbye before running out of the hospital. That seal was tightly held in her hand like a lifeline--it was the only physical tie she had to wherever Ghost lived, and wherever this ‘Godseeker’ was.

To be perfectly honest, Connie didn’t know what the actual  _ fuck _ had happened. She just had endless questions about who and  _ what _ Ghost was, what connection they had to Steven, who and what the Godseeker was, what she  _ wanted _ from Steven and Ghost.

But wondering got one nowhere. Those answers weren’t going to find themselves.

“Lion!” Connie cupped a hand around her mouth and shouted, looking around for that familiar blaze of pink fur. “Lion, where are you?!” She  _ knew _ he was out there somewhere; there was no way that he was going to idle about when Steven was in danger.

Sure enough, she heard a low growl behind her, and Connie giggled weakly when a pink snout was shoved in her face. “Hey, Lion.” As Lion nuzzled her face, she pet the top of his head. “Listen - I need you to take me to Pearl, okay? It’s to help Steven.” Surely Pearl knew  _ something _ about this seal.

Lion snuffled at her enclosed hand, and Connie carefully opened up her hand to show Lion the seal. “I was given this by one of Steven’s friends that’s with him right now--we need to get to wherever this came from if we’re gonna help Steven!”

Lion sniffed the seal, and he knelt down to let Connie get up on his back, just as he had so many times before. Connie held onto Lion, and he broke out into a run.

But he wasn’t running toward the Temple.

“Uh… Lion? Where are you going?” Of course, he didn’t respond, because he’s a lion. He just continued running forward, towards the edge of the hospital parking lot. (A few bystanders looked on in awe and confusion.) “Lion,  _ what are you doing?!” _

Lion let out a roar, and pink rings shot out into the open, a portal opening in the air. Connie gasped and pressed herself into Lion’s back. Wind and force yanked her back when Lion ran through the portal, and the world shifted and pulled like taffy around her.

Just as quickly as it began, the pulling stopped, and Connie was hit by a thick wave of heat. Upon righting herself on Lion’s back, the desert greeted her. Ahead of the two of them was a half-destroyed building, the stone weathered by time. A couple obelisks hung in the air on either side of the open door, written in Gem Glyph.

Connie gasped. “Wait… isn’t this where Pink Diamond’s leg ship was?” Her eyes widened. “And Steven’s mom’s pile of junk!”

Lion ran through the open door and skidded to a halt, casting a crest of sand onto a pile of Rose Quartz’s junk. Connie slid off of Lion’s back as she surveyed the area. What did Lion want her to see? Lion pawed at one of the piles, and Connie began to dig through it. Old swords, a broken lampshade, a chain with no lock, a lock with no chain, a chair with three legs, a dusty spatula. None of it looked even remotely related to  _ anything. _

“Lion, are you  _ sure _ there’s something here?” Lion had been right about several things before, but there was always a first time for everything.

After removing half of a broken bust of some old guy from the sand, something glimmered in the light. Lion growled. Connie looked to him, and then she picked up the object and blew the sand from its surface.

It was a small pin, only about the size of a quarter, with the image of (what appeared to be) a Tree of Life on its front. The entire tree was a glowing white, while the rest of the pin was mottled green. Even just holding it in her hand, Connie could feel that it radiated power.

Connie turned to Lion. “Is… this what you wanted me to see?” Lion blinked at her, something Connie had long since learned meant ‘yes.’ Lion knelt down again, and Connie paused for a moment to look at the little pin.

“... Clearly you wanted me to see this for a reason, so… thanks, Lion.” She gave him a couple head pats, and then tightened her grasp on the pin. “Okay - let’s find Pearl!”

\---

Pearl was at Steven’s house, about to step onto the Temple warp pad, when Lion suddenly burst through a portal and into the room. She let out a (rather undignified) squawk and almost jumped completely off the warp pad.

“Connie!” Dread overtook her expression. “What happened? Did something happen with Steven?!”

Connie hopped off of Lion’s back (as Lion then proceeded to lie lazily on his side in the middle of the living room). “No, it’s okay! Well, yes something  _ did  _ happen, but Steven’s okay!”

Connie quickly explained the events of the previous night, culminating in her pulling out the seal and the pin. Pearl’s hands flew to her mouth the moment she laid eyes on the seal.

“It can’t be…!”

Connie’s brow furrowed, and her chest turned cold. “Can’t be what?”

Pearl’s voice wavered, quiet. “Hallownest.”

“Hallownest?”

“That’s where that seal is from. Those bug creatures you met are from Hallownest.”

“Is that where the Godseeker is?”

“Most likely, yes.”

“Pearl… what do you know about this?” Connie held up the pin. “And what does this have to do with it? I found it in Rose Quartz’s junk pile in the desert.”

Pearl sighed, and then sat on the couch. Connie sat next to her and put the seal and pin on the coffee table. (Lion rested his head in her lap, and she idly scritched his chin.)

“Rose and I visited the Kingdom of Hallownest a couple times, hundreds of years ago. When Rose found out it was a kingdom of sentient bugs, she just couldn’t stay away.” Pearl’s voice held a sad fondness, as it often did when talking about Rose. “That charm that you found is called Heartsong; it allows the wearer to understand and speak Hallownest’s language. The Queen of Hallownest herself made it for Rose.”

“But… why was it in the junk pile?”

“Well… there was… something happening within Hallownest. Bugs were starting to succumb to a sickness, one that made their bodies swell up and their eyes turn bright orange.”

Connie’s mind immediately went to the rolling bugs she, Steven, and Ghost fought in the dream--more specifically, those sickly orange flies.

“They called it ‘the light,’ and it just so happened to coincide with mine and Rose’s first visit to Hallownest.”

Connie’s heart sank. “No…”

Pearl smiled sadly. “The King of Hallownest didn’t want to ask us to leave, really. But his people were so afraid of this disease that they turned the blame onto us. In order to not agitate them further, we were asked to leave Hallownest and to return only once the plague subsided, and even then...”

Bile rose in Connie’s throat. “... I’m guessing it didn’t?”

Pearl sighed, a sound heavy with despair. “We visited the Kingdom again some years later, but the entire place was… dead. Bugs, plants, everything was just…  _ gone.” _

“What about the King?”

"Gone. We caught wind later that he might have gone into hiding, but we don’t know for certain.”

“Then if everything in Hallownest is dead, how could Steven be connecting to Ghost?”

“I don’t know, I’m afraid. It’s possible that it’s like those dreams he had of Pink Diamond, where traces of Rose’s memories came to him in his sleep… but I have no idea why he would be connecting to this ‘Ghost’ individual, then. We never met anyone like them when we visited.”

“And… have you ever heard of the Godseekers?”

Pearl shook her head. “No, unfortunately. It’s possible that there are more kingdoms like Hallownest that have sentient bugs, but if there are, we never found them.”

Connie picked up the seal and held it in her free palm. “So then… what  _ is _ this?”

“That’s a Seal of Hallownest. It’s Hallownest’s symbol, if you will. I suppose Ghost must have given you that so that we could find out where Hallownest is.”

“So all we have to do is go there, wake up the Godseeker, and Steven and Ghost  _ should _ be free! In the best case scenario, anyway.”

“Yes… definitely a best case scenario.” Pearl played with the hem of her jacket; Connie’s expression became troubled.

“With all due respect, ma’am, you have that look on your face again.”

“What look?”

“That look of ‘but there’s a catch to this.’”

“It’s not so much a  _ catch _ as it is just a concern. If Steven connected to someone in Hallownest, then it might not be as dead as we thought.”

Connie (after gently moving Lion’s face off of her legs) got to her feet, her eyes flaring with determination. “Then we’ll just have to be prepared for anything!”

Pearl smiled and stood as well. “Then we’ll go as soon as possible.”

Connie blinked. “Just us?”

“We can’t just halt all production on Little Homeschool, even in a situation like this, and someone has to keep the calm for the Little Homeworld Gems. If word got out that Steven was in trouble…” Pearl shook her head. “And I’m sure that Garnet and Amethyst want to stay close to Steven. Besides, if anything happens here…” It wasn’t a matter of the city--Connie could tell that immediately. If something happened to Steven’s body while they were gone…

Connie nodded. “Right. Let’s hurry!”

\---

The ride to the edge of Hallownest was quiet. As reluctant as Garnet and Amethyst had been to stay behind, they knew that there had to be  _ some _ people to stay behind and keep the peace.

The edge of Hallownest was completely desolate, with only barren rock and howling winds. While Pearl walked, Connie rode on Lion. The Heartsong charm was pinned to her chest; Pearl insisted that she have it. As they walked, Connie regretted not bringing a jacket as the freezing wind bit into her skin. She hid in Lion’s mane (and gave him extra pets and a quiet “you’re doing great” for walking unprotected in the winds).

Pearl, with an arm in front of her eyes, glanced back. “Are you alright, Connie?”

“Fine, ma’am.”

“We’re almost there. We just have to get through these cliffs…”

The cliffs were enormous, reaching high into the sky and dropping off at ninety degrees or smaller. Holes dotted the cliff faces, presumably leading further into caves. Bones and old shells littered the ground, causing sharp crunches to follow wherever they stepped.

“Take no further steps, intruders.”

A voice, feminine and strong, rang out above them, and stood at the top of a cliff was a bug. Like Ghost, she had a white shell and black eyes, but her shell was round and curved. Her red dress swayed in the wind, and her blade--what looked to be a giant  _ needle _ \--stayed readied at her side.

“Only death awaits those who trespass upon this sacred ground.” Her needle moved instantly, now pointed at Connie and Pearl. “Especially to those who seek to defile it.”

Pearl glanced back at Connie--oh, right, Connie was the only one who understood her.

Connie took a breath and shouted back, “We’re not here to defile anything! We’re trying to help our friend!”

“What help could this kingdom provide? There is nothing here. Turn back now and keep your lives.” 

The bug took a more hostile stance, which caused Pearl to summon her spear in return and step protectively in front of Connie.

“Wait, Pearl, no--!”

It happened too fast for Connie to process.

The bug flicked her wrist, and a couple white lines flashed in the air. She zipped down toward Pearl, and their weapons clashed,  _ clang, clang, clang. _ They matched each other blow for blow. The bug flicked her wrist again, and Pearl was surrounded by spikes that hung in the air. She jumped over them and moved to attack the bug again, but the bug unleashed a whip of white thread, knocking Pearl into the spikes, her trapped like an animal snagged on brambles.

The bug threw the needle.

It moved too fast.

“Gghk--!”

It hit Pearl squarely in the chest and stuck out through her back.

Connie felt sick.

_ “PEARL!” _

There was an explosion of light smoke, and Pearl’s gem hit the ground.

The bug landed neatly beside it, before jumping back from it and aiming her needle at Connie. “This is your last warning. Take what remains of your companion and leave this place.”

Connie trembled with rage as she unsheathed her sword. Lion growled and crouched low, ready to pounce.

The bug brandished her needle.

“Your fate is set.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry pearl


	6. Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie and Hornet fight; in the dream world, Steven and the Knight do the same.

Connie had never fought on her own.

Well, of course she had fought in one-on-one battles before. Her training sessions were often just her and Pearl, and she had battled a mind-controlled Pearl before, by herself. But even when she fought someone head-to-head, there was always someone fighting near her. There was some kind of ally around, someone that she fought to protect while they dealt with whatever had to be dealt with. There was Steven, or the Gems, or the people of Beach City.

But Pearl was gone. Lion could only do so much in terms of combat.

She was alone.

Her grip tightened on her sword as she and the bug stared each other down.

She had to do it.

For  _ them. _

Stance wide, body lowered.

Connie and the bug charged at each other.

Clang, clash, clang. Their blades swing together in a storm of silver and pink, matching each other as easily as the bug and Pearl had. There wasn’t time for even a millisecond of rest or hesitation. That needle was sharp and deadly, and that thread the bug used seemed as strong as steel. The bug would twist and turn as she struck, as though she were dancing, and Connie had to follow the bug’s lead to a T in order to survive this deadly performance.

At one point, the bug jumped away from her and leaned over, panting. In that moment of reprieve, Connie snatched Pearl’s gem from the ground and put it at Lion’s paws.

“Keep Pearl safe,” she ordered, but she knew it wasn’t necessary to say. Lion hovered over the gem and tensed up, fangs bared.

The battle was back on, and Connie’s eyes were fixed on the bug. She ignored the sting of the cuts that littered her body, and the lingering taste of metal on her tongue. She was starting to notice something. The bug’s attacks were strong, of course, but only at a distance were they truly effective. 

So if she kept  _ close _ to the bug…

Connie parried the bug’s needle and swung down.

\---

Ghost swung down and bounced off of Blue Diamond’s head and dove downward, leaving a temporary trail of white and black seared onto her dress. Of course, the Godseeker had to choose  _ this _ memory, didn’t she? At least Steven wasn’t fighting in a suit.

He grabbed Ghost from out below Blue Diamond’s feet, and she glared at them as she became encased in a blue aura. Like Jasper, she didn’t speak. She only fired energy orbs at them, ones that Steven either blocked with his shield or hit right back at her. Ghost was miniscule in comparison to Blue Diamond, smaller than her fingertip, which meant that while Ghost could cause little damage to her, she was too big and slow to stop them.

Steven didn’t like this. Well, of course he didn’t like  _ any _ of this, but he didn’t like where any of this was going. They had already fought through multiple other battles since Connie had left: the corrupted Biggs and Ocean Jaspers from the Great North, a trio of mantises that took turns fighting them, the Gem Mutants, a black bug(?) with multiple arms that threw smaller bugs at them while laughing. It was just nonstop fight after fight. Though the benches relieved any of Steven’s physical pains, his mind grew weary. How much longer would they have to fight? And while he didn’t know the types of enemies Ghost had faced before, for Steven, they were growing stronger and more personal with each one. Now they were at Blue Diamond. How much further in their memories would the Godseeker go?

Ghost dashed through his shield and came back to his side, and Steven once more knocked a ball of energy right back at Blue Diamond.

They would get through this.

They had to.

\---

Sitting alone among the clouds, the Godseeker hovered over her weathered mask.

“O, Gods… Why dost thou fight? Godseekers exist to serve Gods. Without a God to serve, who are We? Who am  _ I? _ ”

The mask glowed gold.

“Battles of body are useless. Every enemy given to them, they defeat. As expected for a God, but a crawler! More. More must be given. Though battles of the heart and mind, the last Godseeker shall ascend ever higher. If they shall not kneel through broken bones, then let them kneel through broken minds.”

She paused.

“I need more strength. To the God of Gods… For them to lend Me their power.”

\---

Hornet parried the Wyrm’s sword, knocking her backwards into the dirt. She stumbled backwards, legs wobbling, and stabbed her needle through the dirt to keep her standing. Both paused, breathing heavy.

She had only recently taken up the mantle of the protector of Hallownest again. Once the Radiance was killed, and the kingdom free from its plague, Hornet lent her needle to the Little Ghost of Hallownest. They were, after all, the new King. After weeks of recovery from that fight, Little Ghost began reconstruction on the kingdom, and Hornet was there by their side.

Part of her hated how quickly she had become attached to the creature. She felt too soft. Open yourself to others, and you would only hurt once they were ripped away from you. Whether it was the Weavers, or Herrah, or even just the very denizens of the kingdom… Hornet tried not to let herself grow too close to them. They would only be dead in due time.

But it was over now, wasn’t it? The Infection was gone. Hallownest could meet its end, and then rise again. Maybe now she could lower her guard, allow herself to feel again. Little Ghost was their family, and Hornet felt compelled to protect them. Now was the time to rebuild.

She hates how naive she had been. Of course it couldn’t last.

Little Ghost had gone to sleep one night and hadn’t woken up. Nothing she did could wake them.

So Hornet took to guarding the entrance to Hallownest again. Nothing would enter and defile the kingdom that they had worked so hard to protect. Nothing would come in and hurt the Little Ghost of Hallownest as they slept. She would protect it until Little Ghost woke again. (They had to wake again. They had to.  _ They had to.) _

She hadn’t expected a Wyrm, let alone two, to attempt to enter Hallownest and refuse to turn back. She was admittedly surprised when the hostile one burst into smoke--had the rest of her retreated into that shiny shell on her head? How bizarre. But the fleshy Wyrm had decided to fight, and so Hornet would give her a fight.

The Wyrm had tried to stay close to her and meet her in head-to-head combat, while Hornet dashed and zipped about to keep the space between them wide. The Wyrm was smart; she was starting to pick up on Hornet’s movements and prepare for them. Hornet, in return, began to learn the Wyrm’s attacks, and was able to parry them in return.

Panting, the Wyrm tried to pull herself up with her sword. “N--no… I-I have to… get through…!”

Hornet, too, gasped for breath. “What is... so important to you in... this shell of a kingdom? So important that you... would risk your life for it?”

The Wyrm paused, before she got to her knees with no sign of getting up. “Do you know… who the ‘Godseeker’ is?”

Hornet’s head shot up. “... Why do you wish to see the Godseeker?”

“So you know who she is?”

“She is but a bug that sleeps with little break. I do not see why you--”

“My--my friend, the Godseeker has him!”

“What? How could a constant sleeper capture anyone?”

“She captured him in his dreams. He won’t wake up… so if I could wake the Godseeker…”

Hornet’s blood turned cold. “... You say that he will not wake.”

The Wyrm shook her head. “No, he won’t. Wh--which is why…” She got up, one foot, then another, and held her sword out at Hornet. “... I-I’ll do anything to get through!”

For a moment, Hornet was silent. This was a long shot, but… she had a hunch.

“... How do you know it was the Godseeker who captured your friend?”

“I… He has dream powers. I guess I somehow tapped into that? Because  _ I _ ended up in his dream. He and his friend--”

“Friend? There are more?” (Maybe.  _ Maybe. _ Don’t get your hopes up, Hornet.)

“Yeah - he had a friend who looked a lot like you. They said they were from Hallownest.”

Her heart leapt. “Let me guess: blue-gray cloak? Carved nail? Cracked shell?”

The Wyrm furrowed her brow. “Wait - do you know Ghost?”

Hornet’s hunch was right.

“They are my sibling. They, too, will not awaken, no matter what I do.”

The Wyrm’s eyes widened, and after a second of hesitation, she sheathed her sword. “Then... maybe we’re not enemies. We both want the people we care about to wake up, right?” The Wyrm reached in her pocket and pulled out a Hallownest Seal. As far as Hornet knew, only two people had them: the shopkeeper in the City of Tears, and Little Ghost. “Ghost gave me this, to help find Hallownest. They two of them are in trouble, so… We have a common enemy. We shouldn’t be fighting each other when the people we care about are being held hostage by someone else!”

Hornet’s own eyes narrowed. “Why did your companion”--she gestured to the gem at the pink steed’s paws--”act so hostile?”

The Wyrm clutched the charm on her chest. “She couldn’t understand you. This”--she poked at it--”lets  _ me _ understand you, but not her. She just wanted to protect me.”

Hornet’s gaze fixed on the charm. “... You bear the mark of the White Lady.”

The Wyrm tilted her head. “... Who?”

“The former Queen of Hallownest. You bear her mark on your chest.”

“What - the Heartsong charm?”

“That is undoubtedly hers. You are bizarre, even for a Wyrm.”

The Wyrm huffed. “I’m not a worm!”   


“No,  _ Wyrm. _ Being beyond bugs, and of great power.” Hornet took her needle out of the ground, but held it loosely at her side. “You hold the Queen’s mark. Not only that, but you have proven yourself in battle.” Hornet bowed slightly. “I will choose now to trust that you speak the truth. If you will accompany me, I will take you to the Godseeker, and we shall awaken her together.”

The Wyrm grinned. “Wait, really?”

In a flash, Hornet pointed her needle at the Wyrm. “But if I even for a moment suspect that you will desecrate this kingdom or its people, I will strike you down where you stand.”

The Wyrm instinctively reached for her sword, but chose against it, and stood firm. “Same to you.”

Hornet once more lowered her needle. “Glad we agree. I am Hornet, protector of Hallownest.”

The Wyrm gave a polite nod. “Connie Maheswaren, Crystal Gem.”

\---

They were in the Dream Realm.

The Knight sat on Steven’s shoulder (turns out it was quite the comfortable place) and looked around. The horizon was streaked with red, even as the dark clouds hung over the duo. The Knight’s body felt cold. This was one of the  _ Dreamers. _ But that was impossible. They had already destroyed the Dreamers.

No. Right. These were memories.

“Whoa… where are we?” Steven put a hand on the Knight’s back to keep them steady, and he jumped from platform to platform, until he landed on the last one.

She appeared in a fog of dream particles, and Steven instantly raised his shield. The Knight just stared at the apparition.

_ Why? _

Herrah the Beast floated in front of them, motionless. Steven looked confused before dropping his shield.

“Is… she not going to attack us?” 

The Knight hopped off of his shoulder and onto the ground, before they walked up to the ghost of Herrah.

There had been no issues with killing the Dreamers previously. The Knight knew what had to be done to open the seals and kill the Radiance for good. But that was before the Knight knew that Hornet had watched her mother’s death. The Knight didn’t fully know what that meant, but it had hurt Hornet.  _ ‘Leave me now, ghost. Allow me a moment alone before this bedchamber becomes forever a shrine.’ _ It had hurt her to see Herrah die, and to stand by while it happened.

Hornet was their sister. Hornet was their  _ family. _ They didn’t want to hurt her again.

As the Knight stood before the ghost of Herrah, Steven stepped closer and waved his hand in front of Herrah.

“Um… hello?” No response. Steven gave the Knight a questioning look. “Ghost, I don’t… think that she’s going to attack.”

They knew that. It was unfortunate, then, that the Knight lunged at her with their Nail.

“Wh-- _ Ghost!” _ They only got a few swipes in before Steven picked them up and pulled them back. “What are you doing?! I don’t think she’s going to hurt us!”

No, she wasn’t. Herrah wasn’t going to hurt them, but the Godseeker was. They knew what had to be done to continue. Otherwise, Steven would be stuck here, too. He would be hurt if they  _ didn’t _ attack.

The Knight shook their head, and then pointed their Nail at Herrah again. She was still, even after being hit.

Steven turned his reluctant look from Herrah back to the Knight. “... We  _ have _ to do it, don’t we?” 

The Knight nodded, before they patted their chest and pointed again at Herrah.

“... You want to do it?”

The Knight gently patted Steven’s hands, and it seemed that he understood, but he still held them.

“... Ghost, are you sure? I don’t want to make you go through this again if you don’t have to…”

The Knight reached out with their free hand and lightly patted Steven’s cheek. Steven let out a breath, before he set Ghost down and encased his fists in bubbles.

“Let’s do this together, Ghost." There was still a hint of regret in his tone, but Steven sounded determined nonetheless. "You’re not alone.”

Something warm filled the Knight’s chest upon hearing that. It was a feeling; they didn’t have a name for it. But it was both warm and cold, joyful and sorrowful. Something that made the Knight want to hug Steven and then collapse onto the ground.

Herrah didn’t move as the Knight and Steven attacked. Dream particles exploded from her with each hit, filling the air around them, until they were (far too quickly) surrounded by a flash of bright light.

They were unceremoniously dropped in front of Herrah’s bed, now empty.

The bug kneeling by the bedside looked up at the Knight, eyes dark and heavy.

That warm feeling in their chest flared into an acidic heat, something that just barely managed to recognize as guilt.

“Who…?” Steven picked up the Knight in his arms. “Ghost, do you know this person?”

The Knight could only stare at the vision of Hornet in regret as the world filled with light again.

\---

At the bottom of the Junk Pit, a set of claws dug into the ground. 

Then another. 

Trash scraped against her gigantic shell as she dragged herself towards the water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHAHAHA  
> i actually kinda like how this chapter came out  
> also i have a lot of feelings abt hornet


	7. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie and Hornet make preparations; Steven and the Knight continue their brawl.

“So… how do you get to the Godseeker?”

“The Godseeker is in the Junk Pit, in the Royal Waterways at the bottom of Hallownest. The fastest route there is through the Fungal Wastes.” Hornet lightly dragged the tip of a quill along the path on the giant map laid out before them. (Well, it was more a patchwork of multiple smaller maps.) Connie watched as intently as she could, though she struggled to not let her eyes wander to the rest of Hallownest. It was enormous, far bigger than Connie ever would have imagined by looking at the cliffside entrance. What secrets were hidden in the vast, underground world of Hallownest?

The two (well, three, as Lion was sitting out front) were now in the town of Dirtmouth, lying on the floor of (what Connie assumed to be) Hornet’s home. Connie lay on her stomach, legs idly kicking in the air, while Hornet leaned over the maps and sorted out their path.

Her eyes flitted to Pearl’s gem, which now sat on a pillow on the ground with them. “What about Pearl? Is there any way we can get a charm like the Heartsong one for her when she reforms? So we don’t have any…  _ miscommunication. _ ” (Read: “So that no one tries to kill each other again.”)

Hornet narrowed her eyes at Connie. “Re… forms? So she will return?”

Connie nodded. “Pearl is a Gem; Gem’s bodies are made of light. If they get damaged enough, then they’ll just go back into their Gem until their bodies reform.”

Hornet hummed. “Interesting. And you said earlier that this ‘Pearl’ you are with has visited Hallownest before?”

Another nod. “Yeah, with Rose Quartz.”

“Where is Rose Quartz, then?”  The ensuing silence was deafening. Hornet watched as Connie shifted uncomfortably, and she added, “I see. My apologies.”

“It’s okay. You didn’t know.” Connie tugged at a stray piece of hair. “Just, um… don’t bring it up around Pearl.” Perhaps she was being overly cautious, but she didn’t want to dredge up any bad memories while Pearl was still trying to heal. It would be inevitable, of course, since they were in a place where Pearl had only memories of Rose, but if Connie could lessen that even a bit… “A-anyway - the charm?”

“Ah… yes.” Hornet cleared her throat and drew a different path along the map. “Then we would have to detour into the Queen’s Gardens and find the White Lady. There is no  _ guarantee _ that she will give you anything, but as she was the original creator of the Heartsong charm, she is the best choice for something similar. The fastest route there is through Greenpath. The Gardens would then allow us passage to the Fungal Wastes through the Fog Canyon.”

She circled an area at the bottom of the Fungal Wastes that led into the Royal Waterways, an area of the map that was colored a darker yellow than the rest. “We must go through the Mantis Village to reach this opening. If you stay with me, they should not harm you.”

Connie chuckled nervously. “Guess they really don’t like strangers on their territory…?”

Hornet merely stared. “No. They do not. The Mantises are a clan of born warriors; they will not take any threats lightly. Both myself and Little Ghost have bested them in combat, however. To beat them in combat is to earn their respect.”

Connie nodded as Hornet spoke, her eyes growing wide with curiosity. “Are there other clans like that in Hallownest?”

“Yes, multiple, though few have survived to this day. Not all are as combat-driven as the Mantises. They are the only ones that we will actively interact with.”

“What other clans are still out there? Are they all part of Hallownest?”

“Perhaps let us finish mapping out our route, and then we can speak as we walk.”

Connie’s face heated slightly, and she hid her face behind her arms. “Sorry.”

“Now, are you sure you wish to bring your steed with you?” Hornet cast a glance to the front of the home, where Lion’s tail lay in the doorway, flicking occasionally. “While we have been trying to make Hallownest safer to traverse, some places are still treacherous.”

Connie’s eyes brightened, and she waved a hand. “Oh don’t worry, Lion can teleport.”

Blink. “What.”

“Yeah, Lion can make portals to places! But I think it might only be to places he’s been or places he can see.” She scratched the back of her head. “I still don’t fully know how his powers work yet… but I know that Lion could definitely help us through some of the tougher places!”

After a moment of thought, Hornet nodded. “Very well.” Another glance was cast aside to Pearl. “And… how long until your friend reforms? I believe we are ready to start moving.”

Connie bit her lip. “I’m… not sure. Some Gems reform really quickly, while others take their time. I-I can always just carry Pearl’s gem if--”

Light filled the home, and Connie and Hornet watched in awe as the gem lifted into the air.

\---

“Oh no.”

Steven knew this place. His hold on Ghost unconsciously tightened, and Ghost looked up at Steven in confusion.

The lava, the hexagonal shape, the fake Gem Soldiers.

“Bismuth…”

The moment the word left his mouth, one of the Gem Soldiers erupted. Steven put up a bubble for the debris to bounce off of, but he was knocked back when something slammed into the front of it. Steven held Ghost close to his chest as he rattled around the inside of the bubble, landing around the lava at the other side. He lay splayed out at the bottom of the bubble, body aching.

“Ow.” He held out Ghost, who lightly held Steven’s cheeks with their tiny hands. “You okay, Ghost?” They nodded, and squished Steven’s cheeks, as if to ask him the same. “I’m okay. We need to be careful--”

The bubble dipped further into the lava as the dream-Bismuth pushed it down with her one hand--the other hand was a hammer. Steven’s head whipped around, looking for something,  _ anything _ to use to get out of this. Ghost jumped up once, twice into the air before dashing through the bubble. They struck their nail down and hit Bismuth’s hair, bouncing off of her head and landing behind her. She released the bubble and heaved her hammer hand at Ghost. 

Steven bounced, bounced, bounced on the surface of the lava, before he kicked up into the air and hovered above the lava. His heart jumped into his throat.

Bismuth knocked Ghost backward, and their little body hit the back wall and  _ flump- _ ed onto the ground. Bismuth raised her hammer--

“ _ Get away from them!” _ Steven kicked off the wall and dove toward Ghost, bringing up his shield just in time to block the hammer blow. His feet stayed planted on the ground, but his knees buckled beneath the weight.

Bismuth jumped back with a yelp, and grabbed her head. Steven raised a brow, but kept his shield up. She doubled over, eyes squeezed shut. 

As suddenly as it happened, it stopped, and Bismuth straightened again, her hands falling to her sides. Her lip curled, and her hands shifted back into hammers.

When Bismuth opened her eyes again, they were glowing pink.

“You know that you can never replace Rose Quartz.”

Blink. “What?”

“The Gems only put up with you because they think you’re Rose. Or that you’re Pink.”

“Wh…” Steven backed away from Bismuth, almost tripping over Ghost. “S-sorry, Ghost, I-I just - she never  _ said _ this--”

“The Crystal Gems expect you to take Rose’s place.” Bismuth walked closer, matching Steven’s every step with one of her own. “The Homeworld Gems expect you to take Pink Diamond’s place. But you know you never could.”

“I-I don’t--” Why was she saying this?  _ How _ was she saying this? The other dream versions didn’t talk, so why was she? And why was she saying  _ that? _

(Why, of all things, did it have to be  _ that?) _

“They want Rose Quartz. They want Pink Diamond.” Bismuth’s voice, laced with vitriol, grew louder and angrier the longer she talked. The pink in her eyes glowed too intense to look at. “But you’re not them. You’re Steven Universe! And they  _ don’t WANT you!” _

Bismuth struck at him, and Steven was too numb to move. He was thrown back into the wall, stuck in an indent. He felt sick. He thought he had come to terms with those feelings. Those  _ fears. _ He thought his mother’s shadow wouldn’t overtake him anymore.

But then he remembered Spinel, who wanted to kill him and the Earth for what Pink Diamond did. He remembered the Diamonds, who still only thought of him as an extension of Pink. He thought of that, and his resolve dwindled.

His voice wavered. “I-I’m… I’m not… Th-the Gems, th-they wouldn’t…”

“They don’t care about  _ you. _ They care about  _ her. _ And you will  _ always _ be seen as her.”

Bismuth suddenly cried out when a spinning blade struck her legs from behind, sending her to her knee. The sight pulled Steven out of his stupor. No. Ghost was still here and fighting with him. He had to protect them.

He pushed himself out of the wall and dashed at Bismuth, pulling up his shield and knocking her onto her side. Ghost followed after her, hopped up in the air, and dove down. 

Smoke swirled in the air with black and white energy.

Only Bismuth’s gemstone remained.

The world went white.

\---

Steven immediately went over to the bench and sat down with a sigh. Shaking fingers ran through his hair. What had  _ that _ all been about? He hated having to relive the fight against Bismuth to begin with, but the pink eyes, the sudden talking, those  _ words… _

Suddenly there was a weight on his leg, and he felt Ghost’s tiny hands on his face again. Steven giggled and scooped them up.

“Thanks for helping me out, Ghost.” Much like before, they lightly squished his cheeks again, and Steven was sure that if they could emote, those black eyes would be full of concern. “I'm fine, Ghost, honest.”

(He had to be. There was too much to do. He already dealt with those feelings years ago, anyway. It was fine. He was fine.)

_ (He was fine.) _

Ghost gently tapped Steven’s face, causing him to giggle again. Seemingly satisfied, Ghost nestled into Steven’s hold.

“... Wanna take a little break, Ghost? I think we could both use it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry steven


	8. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl and Connie are led to the White Lady by Hornet; Steven witnesses a reunion.

Pearl didn’t like to rush her regenerations.

She was always the one who took her time to reform, in order to create a form that she liked. She was meticulous, precise. At least, she was  _ now. _ She used to rush her reformations like no other, because when she was cut down in battle, she had to protect…

Pearl stumbled when her form hit the floor, and she gasped for breath. Instantly she was on her feet, spear at the ready and pointed at the bug that had cut her down and threatened Connie. (Where were they now? This wasn’t the cliffs. Whatever. That didn’t matter. Connie needed--)

“Pearl, no! No fighting!” Connie shot up and stood at the very tip of her spear, arms spread out.

“Connie, what are you doing?!”

“Hornet is Ghost’s sister! She’s not going to hurt us, she’s going to help us!”

Pearl’s eyes flickered from Connie to the bug--Hornet. Her voice dropped lower. “How can we be sure that we can trust her?”

Connie swallowed. “If we’re going to save Steven, we’re going to have to.”

Hornet stood, and Pearl tensed again. She said…  _ something _ before bowing slightly. A moment passed before Connie realized (again) that Pearl couldn’t understand.

“Oh - right. Hornet says she’s sorry for attacking you.” Connie paused, before she took off the Heartsong charm.

Pearl’s spear vanished in a flash of light before she raised a brow. “Connie?”

“Here.” Connie held the charm in her outstretched palm. “You take it for now, ma’am. You’ve been to Hallownest before, right? So you should be able to talk to Hornet for now.”

“Connie, are you sure?”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m certain. Hornet said she wants to take us to the Queen to get another one.”

Pearl gasped. “The White Lady…? She’s still here?”

Hornet nodded and spoke again, stopping only when she realized that  _ no one _ had the charm. Pearl hesitated before taking the charm and pinning it to her jacket.

“Sorry - what was that?”

Hornet huffed slightly. “I said, yes, the White Lady is still within Hallownest.”

“Oh!” Pearl’s eyes lit up, and she smiled. “That’s much better! I can understand you now!”

“And I, you.” Hornet knelt down to scoop up maps that were scattered along the floor. “... Once more. My apologies for earlier. You are Pearl, yes?”

“Yes, that’s me. And you’re Hornet?”

“Yes. I am the protector of Hallownest.” Hornet flicked her head towards Connie. “Will you tell Connie to prepare her steed? We must be going. The sooner we get to the White Lady, the sooner we can go find the Godseeker.”

As Pearl would quickly find out, Hallownest was much,  _ much  _ different than before. It was to be expected, after so long, but it still came as a nasty shock to her. Dirtmouth had once been such a thriving little town, but now was barely inhabited. Houses were completely empty and dark. The dust-coated streets were barren. Only two shops were even open--were they the only two shops  _ left? _

The Crossroads were even worse. Once-busy streets had crumbled, leaving deep breaks in the stone, some even giving way to dark pits. Signs that had once been meticulously maintained were bent and chipped. The decorative shells that lined the walkways with their spirals had long since lost their shine. Houses lay in ruins, doors, windows, and even ceilings laying in broken heaps. There was nothing…  _ no one. _

“It used to be so beautiful…” Pearl mused to no one in particular. 

Connie rested her chin on top of Lion’s head. “What did Hallownest used to be like, ma’am?”

“Oh, Hallownest was so full of life!” Pearl’s eyes glazed over slightly as she thought back to her and Rose’s visit all those years ago. “Everything was so perfectly kept to form, there were bugs everywhere…” In her mind’s eye, she saw Rose’s joy at seeing such a bustling kingdom underground, her starry eyes and endless wonder--no. She needed to stop that. This wasn’t about Rose, however much Pearl still missed her. This was to help Steven.

Pearl remembered something, and she turned to Hornet, who was ahead of the two. “Hornet… What happened to the King?”

Hornet stopped.

“... No one knows.”

“Wh--what do you  _ mean _ ‘no one knows?’”

“The Pale King, and his palace, were said to have vanished one day. No one knows what became of him.”

“Oh, stars…” Pearl felt her heart sink. The Pale King had been so cordial to them, and she couldn’t imagine how the White Lady felt…

No. She could completely understand how she felt.

Hornet led them through the Crossroads and into Greenpath, which was almost unrecognizable from how untamed and overgrown it had become--not to say anything of the pools of  _ acid _ . The same held true for the Queen’s Gardens, which were once some of the most beautiful flora that Pearl had ever seen, but now were rife with spikes and thorns. Nobody had tended to them in a long time…

“If the White Lady still lives here, then why is everything so overgrown?”

Hornet was quiet for a moment. “You will see.”

Hornet and Pearl were able to traverse the lands with little effort; Lion made it easy for Connie to stay safe. The group climbed up into the Queen’s Gardens, until they found a grove with a tunnel that led deeper down. At the mouth of the tunnel was clearly a grave; Pearl couldn’t read it. Bringing it up seemed… improper. Connie, meanwhile, hopped off of Lion and gave him some pets and a ‘thank you’ before following Hornet inside.

Pearl could feel it before she saw her. There was a particular energy that the White Lady radiated, one describable. It grew stronger the further down they went, until they finally came into full view of the Queen of Hallownest.

Pearl and Connie gasped.

The White Lady was as beautiful as she had always been, with her deeply-embedded roots glowing a perfect white and her deep blue eyes staring at nothing, but her body was bound in rope.

Her voice was deep and ethereal. “Ah… The Crystal Gem returns again, after so long, led by the Gendered Child. Do not fear; these binds are of my own doing. Please, come in.”

The moment Pearl entered the room, she knelt before the Queen. (Connie quickly followed her example.) “It has been quite the long time, Your Majesty.”

“Ah, and you wear the gift I bestowed. You also bring a new companion with you. Where is Rose Quartz?”

Pearl flinched before she got to her feet (a gesture Connie also copied). “... Rose is no longer with us.”

The White Lady closed her eyes. “My apologies. She was a wonderful woman. I would ask who your new companion is, but I am to assume that she cannot understand me, yes?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I see… a moment, then.” White energy gathered in front of the White Lady, and within seconds, a new charm, identical to the one on Pearl’s jacket, appeared in the air. Pearl reached out to catch it before it fell and immediately handed it to Connie.

“Here you are.”

“Thank you, ma’am!” Grinning, Connie pinned the charm onto her own shirt.

The White Lady tilted her head. “That should suffice, yes?” 

Connie jumped, but bowed soon after. “Y-yes, it’s wonderful, Your Majesty. Thank you for your graciousness.”

Pearl smiled and put a hand on Connie’s shoulder, voice hushed. “You’re doing great.”

Hornet stepped forward and bowed as well. “Forgive us for the intrusion, Your Majesty.”

“Not an intrusion at all! I am delighted to have visitors from outside of Hallownest again.” The White Lady blinked, and then turned her head in Connie’s direction. “I do not think there has been a human in Hallownest before…”

Connie furrowed her brow. “Wait, you know I’m a human? Hornet called me a Wyrm earlier!”

“Humans and Wyrms are all the same to bugs. But speaking of you, might I have your name?”

“O-oh - o-of course, m--my apologies, Your Majesty.”

Pearl lightly squeezed Connie’s shoulders. “Just breathe and relax.”

Connie looked up at Pearl, expression somewhat frantic. Pearl didn’t blame her; this was the first time that Connie was meeting actual  _ royalty _ . Not a Gem Matriarch she was trying to help stop, but an actual Queen to whom Connie was clearly trying to show the utmost respect to. That, and with everything going on--her best friend trapped in a dream, her mentor poofed right in front of her, a whole new species appearing before her eyes--Pearl was very impressed with how well Connie was holding herself together.

(... Well. Maybe she would ask how Connie was doing in a bit.)

Connie took a breath, and then knelt before the White Lady. “Connie Maheswaren, Your Majesty.”

Pearl smiled proudly. “Connie learned the sword from me, and she’s an  _ excellent _ student.”

Connie stood and returned the smile. “Thank you, ma’am.”

The White Lady nodded. “I see. It is a pleasure to meet a student of an old friend. I am Queen of Hallownest, known as the White Lady… though I suppose I should add ‘former’ to my title.”

Pearl blinked. “Former?”

“I am Queen in name only. I hold no power over Hallownest anymore.”

Pearl bit her lip, before she dared to ask, “What…  _ happened _ to Hallownest? How did you lose your power?”

The White Lady shook her head, the glowing roots gently pulling at the wall behind her. “You misunderstand. I voluntarily gave up myself to protect the kingdom. I felt this insatiable urge to breed and spread my spawn, so  _ I _ put these chains on myself.” (Both Pearl and Connie turned a bit green.) “As for Hallownest itself, it was ravished by the goddess’ plague.”

“Goddess…?”

“The Radiance.”

Something about that name sent shivers through Pearl’s body.

“Her powers manifested in the Infection, and it destroyed Hallownest. But in return, the Vessel destroyed her.”

“Vessel…?”

“Little Ghost, she means.” Hornet stayed by the doorway. “Little Ghost is a Vessel.”

“Wait, Ghost  _ destroyed a goddess?!” _

Connie, through her awe, raised a brow. “A Vessel… for what?”

“Ah... “ The White Lady closed her clouded eyes again. “It is a long and sad story, the one of the Vessels. But I feel that that is not why you are here before me today. You wish to discuss the seeker of the Gods and the realm of dreams.”

After a moment, Connie stepped forward. (Pearl noted a troubled look on her face; she wasn’t satisfied with that answer.) “Your Majesty… what do you know about the Godseeker?”

“The Godseekers… a tribe of bugs from lands distant. Their very existence is to serve and worship Gods. But gods, like all things, must die, and when their gods of Thunder and Rain decayed, the Godseekers ventured forth to find new ones. Hallownest is full of powerful creatures, most driven to madness by the plague. Their power lingers here… the shadows of strength must have drawn the Godseekers here.”

“But Steven and Ghost said that there was only  _ one _ Godseeker.”

“Ah… ‘Steven.’ The human who has been connecting with Ghost through dreams, yes?”

Pearl’s eyes widened. “What? You mean this has been ongoing? For how long?!”

Connie shrugged. “I don’t know! Steven just told me that he and Ghost met in dreams before…”

“Little Ghost never told me that…” Hornet mumbled under her breath.

“If I may.” The White Lady’s eyes opened once more. “I have felt your Steven’s power within Hallownest during these times. Very briefly. His power felt like Rose Quartz’s, but different.”

Pearl shrunk into herself. “... Steven has Rose’s Gem. She gave it to him when she had him.”

“I see… Then perhaps the Vessel holds what little remains of the Radiance’s power somewhere with it. With Rose Quartz’s Gem, your Steven was possibly drawn to it in the world of dreams.” (Both Pearl and Connie exchanged a disconcerted look; they didn’t like how she said ‘it.’) “Rose Quartz’s aura was almost as poignant as my beloved Wyrm’s; perhaps she even surpassed his strength. That aura would be enticing to the Godseeker.”

“So… The Godseeker is trying to make Steven a  _ god?” _

Connie nodded. “That’s what he told me when we met up in the dream…”

The White Lady fixed her infinite gaze on Connie. “The Realm of Dreams was one the dominion of the Radiance. With her death, the Realm should have disappeared. However, the Godseeker’s power is perhaps far beyond what we anticipated. What was once a tribe soon became one, as the rest of the Godseekers merged into the mind of a single physical form. Perhaps that grew her power. Be cautious when approaching her.”

Connie gave a firm nod, eyes alight with determined fire. “Don’t worry about us, Your Majesty! We’ll take care of everything!”

The White Lady chuckled. “Your tenacity is to be admired. I shall keep you no longer. Blessing to you all on your journeys.”

With formal goodbyes to the (former) Queen of Hallownest, the trio left the tunnel and emerged back on the surface. Lion, who had been just lounging around as Lion did, got to his feet when Connie approached him.

Hornet was oddly silent. Something hung over her like a cloud, and she moved stiffly, as though her limbs were weighed down. 

Pearl spoke up, careful: “Um… Hornet? Are you alright?”

Hornet’s head snapped around, surprised. “... Yes. I am. Hurry up. We must cross Hallownest to get to the Godseeker.”

\---

It seemed that neither of them wanted to get off the bench.

Steven and the Knight sat quietly with one another, watching the steam of the hot spring swirl in the air. Steven said nothing; the Knight  _ couldn’t _ say anything. The most they could do was nestle close to Steven in some kind of comfort. They didn’t understand who Bismuth or Rose Quartz were. But he understood the rest of it well enough. Steven felt like some kind of replacement for this ‘Rose Quartz.’ There were expectations of Steven to live up to that legacy, but he felt that he couldn’t.

The Knight thought back to the White Lady’s words, of how there were only two options to handle the Radiance, and that “the second I find preferable, and would seek your aid in its occurrence, replacement.” And now they were a replacement for the Pale King.

They understood that feeling of not being good enough. Of constantly walking in the shadow of a larger person. They wished they had a name for that feeling.

Eventually, Steven sighed. “Well… we’re not gonna get anywhere by just sitting here, right?” He looked down at the Knight for confirmation, and they nodded before they placed a gentle hand on Steven’s chest. He blinked in confusion, before smiling softly. “I’m okay, Ghost. Honestly.” There was a moment of hesitation, but Steven soon hugged Ghost a bit tighter. “... Thanks.”

The Knight squirmed a bit, taken aback by the gesture, but soon returned the embrace in kind. Steven was very warm. The Knight didn’t understand how creatures could be so warm all the time. Maybe that weird fabric covering his upper body emitted heat?

Steven stood, still holding the Knight in his arms, and headed into the door of light.

\---

The Knight knew this place.

It was a Dream Realm construct, but filled with the bright orange bubbles of Infection. This was the exact place where…

Steven wrinkled his nose. “Ugh - this orange stuff again? What’s  _ with _ this?” Oh, how the Knight wished they could explain it. Steven stepped further into the arena and gasped. “Wh... who’s…?”

The body of the Broken Vessel lay at the other side of the battlefield. The one left in the middle of the Infection, the one that had grown enough to dream. The Knight didn’t want to do this. They didn’t want to fight their Sibling! It was bad enough in Godhome, but here, too?!

Steven’s voice was hushed and solemn. “Ghost… do you know them?”

Slowly, the Knight nodded. Steven took one step towards the husk--two, three.

Suddenly the Broken Vessel lunged toward them, and Steven put up a bubble with a yelp. The Broken Vessel slashed and swung at the bubble, but its limp body held no real strength behind it. The Knight’s body turned colder. The Broken Vessel was empty--no Shade or seeds of Infection. 

The Broken Vessel dropped their nail and collapsed at Steven’s feet. Sympathy flooded Steven’s expression, but he slowly rolled backwards a few steps before dropping the bubble. The Knight wriggled out of his arms and hit the ground.

“Ghost…?” The Knight turned back to Steven, and after a moment, he nodded. “Okay. Be careful.”

The Knight proceeded to head directly towards the Broken Vessel. Was this careful? Probably not.

The Broken Vessel latched onto the Knight as soon as they got close enough, their tiny hands grasping onto the Knight’s cloak.

_ “Ghost!” _ Steven moved to run after them, but the ceiling above them cracked, and Steven screamed as debris, Infection, and Lightseeds crashed on him. The Knight pulled against the Broken Vessel’s hold, panicked, trying to  _ get to Steven, they had to help their friend-- _

_ “Save... us…” _

The Knight shuddered as a raspy, layered voice echoed in their mind. They knew that voice--or, voices. Siblings.

_“Why… didn’t you… save… us…?”_ The Broken Vessel yanked themselves closer to the Knight, their empty eyes almost _pleading._ _“Left… alone… we don’t want… to be… alone…”_

Hot regret filled the Knight’s chest, but they were paralyzed in place, as though stuck in spider silk.  _ I couldn’t save you. I’m sorry. There was no way to save you. I wanted to! I wanted you to live! _

_ “Don’t… leave us… please…!” _

Cracked stone and glowing Infection blew past the Knight in an explosion, and they felt warm hands wrap around their body before Steven pulled them out of the Broken Vessel’s grasp. He turned away from the Vessel, shielding the Knight with his body. “Leave them  _ alone!” _

The Knight squirmed again--they needed to get to their Sibling! Maybe they could help this time! Maybe--

Lightseeds rushed past Steven’s feet, and Steven put up another bubble to protect them. The Knight deflated as the urge to fight left their body. They couldn’t, couldn’t they? There was no helping the Broken Vessel. They had always been far too late. Even for this memory.

“What’s going on? Ghost?” Steven’s voice brought them back from their thoughts, and the Knight pulled out their nail. Steven looked to the Broken Vessel as Lightseeds filled the Broken Vessel’s body, as a bubble of Infection swelled on their shell. “... We have to fight again?”

The Knight nodded. There was no saving their Sibling, but at the very least, they could free this memory of them.

The Broken Vessel was as quick on their feet as they had been down in the Ancient Basin, slashing and swinging with their nail. But it was easier with Steven. Steven would put up his shield when the Vessel swung, and the Knight would attack when the Vessel was recoiling. Sometimes Steven kept the Vessel distracted while the Knight climbed up onto his head and popped the Infected Balloons that got too close to them. 

The longer the fight went on, the worse shape the Broken Vessel was in. They couldn’t keep their head upright on their body, their nail snapped in half, their cloak tore apart. They could barely swing their nail anymore without completely falling over. 

Steven lowered his shield and backed away from them. The Knight, seated on his head, swore they felt him trembling.

“Ghost, they’re… they’re too... I-I can’t…”

The Knight jumped off of Steven’s head. That was fine. They wanted to be the one to grant the mercy kill.

The Broken Vessel threw themselves at the Knight one last time, and the Knight slashed at their body with their nail. The Broken Vessel hit the ground in a crumpled heap, and the Infection burst from them, leaving only their empty shell. Weakly, one of their arms raised up, and the Knight ran over to their Sibling. The Vessel’s trembling hand gently traced the crack on the Knight’s shell, the one that was not unlike the Vessel’s own. The Knight took the Vessel’s nubby hand in theirs, tightly holding it to try and comfort them.

They heard a voice again, but this time, it was one single, quiet tone. It sounded so tired, so weary, but had an edge of relief to it. 

_ “Sib… ling…” _

The Broken Vessel went limp.

Light filled the room.

\---

The Knight was still positioned to hold the Broken Vessel’s hand when they appeared by the hot spring again, but their hand was empty.

“Ghost… that was your…?”

Steven knelt down beside them, his eyes glistening. The Knight did not respond--they were too shocked that Steven had heard the voices, too--but Steven hugged them all the same without any more words. The Knight pressed their face into Steven’s chest. They were starting to appreciate these embraces, as strange as they had found them before. They were comforting.  


The Knight felt that comfort start to soothe the ache in their soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry ghost


	9. Hollow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl and Connie listen to the tale of the Vessels; Connie meets a new ally.

Hallownest was just so  _ fascinating. _

Connie was almost overwhelmed by the diverse life of the kingdom. Thick walls of pink spikes, little white sprouts that grew through concrete cracks and glowed softly, bushes so densely packed with leaves that you could walk on them, giant flowers with little bulbs that looked like bubbles. She had never seen or read about  _ anything _ like the plant life in Hallownest. The Fungal Wastes held even more, with mushrooms that released small yellow spores at the slightest breeze, pink mushrooms that wiggled like rubber when touched, lakes of acid that bubbled and boiled below their feet as they walked across makeshift bridges. To think that all of this life was down here, thriving! 

Steven saw all of this in his dreams, right? When he and Ghost woke up, they would all have to travel Hallownest together and see everything in person.

Part of her wondered what life was like  _ before _ that plague happened. And then she remembered something.

“Hornet,” Connie began, catching the attention of the leading bug, “what… what was the White Lady talking about when she mentioned the Vessels?”

Hornet stopped.

“... You truly wish to know about what led to the fall of Hallownest?”

Pearl, too, stopped cold. “What? Did… these ‘Vessels’ lead to Hallownest--?”

“No.” Pearl jumped at Hornet’s short tone. “They were the product of an attempt to save the kingdom.” After a moment, Hornet started walking again. Lion and Pearl followed after, with Connie and Pearl exchanging worried looks.

“... The Radiance once ruled this land.” Hornet’s voice was soft, but resigned. “She was the ruler of the Light; bugs under her control existed as one mind. When the Pale King arrived, he brought with him the power to give bugs their freedom of will and mind. But to do this, he tried to destroy any evidence of the Radiance, so that she would fade away from the minds of Hallownest. But she didn’t. There was…  _ something _ out there, the slightest thought instilled within the residents of Hallownest that allowed her to spread the Infection.”

“The Infection… that was the plague, right?” Connie asked.

Hornet nodded. “Correct.”

“That was around the time when Rose and I…” Pearl’s eyes widened in horror. “So the Radiance was the one responsible for the plague?”

“Correct again. So the Pale King had an idea: to create a being that could contain the Infection.”

Connie paled. “The Vessels…”

“The King, along with the White Lady, gave birth to thousands of Vessels to find the purest one.”

Connie clamped a hand over her mouth. “O-oh my gosh… is  _ that _ why the White Lady locked herself away like that?”

“Part of her explanation is true. But the part she neglected to mention was that  _ she _ was directly involved in the creation of the Vessels.” Hornet’s tone matched the small pit of acid that the group passed. “They are all her progeny, and she just left them to be used.”

Pearl bit her lip. “What happened to the Vessels that weren’t ‘pure’?”

“They were abandoned.”

The silence around them felt crushing.

Hornet continued. “The Pure Vessel became the Hollow Knight. Any other Vessels were left to die. The Hollow Knight was created to be without thoughts, or will, or voice. They would contain the Radiance forever, meaning that Hallownest would live eternal.”

“But… with all of this”--Connie gestured around her--”does that mean…?”

“They failed, yes.”

Pearl looked ill. “How?”

“They began to hope.”

Connie looked to Pearl, who could only stare in horror and sympathy. The Hollow Knight… they sounded like a Gem. A Gem created for only one purpose, not allowed to think or feel for herself. And when the Hollow Knight gained a glimmer of self…

“The Hollow Knight could only contain the Radiance for so long. That is when Little Ghost returned to Hallownest.”

Connie tilted her head. “Returned?”

“They had escaped where the Pale King left them, and returned to Hallownest proper some time later. Perhaps they were called here by the Hollow Knight… but instead of being a Vessel, they took the fight directly to the Radiance.”

“And they  _ destroyed _ her?”

“Her, and the Infection. The Hollow Knight is no more. But that does not erase the crimes of the Pale Court.”

Pearl was quiet a moment, before she asked, “Is that why the White Lady referred to Ghost as ‘it?’”

“... Yes. They are just one of many to her. That they have will of their own… she doesn’t seem to notice.”

Connie sank into Lion’s mane. So Ghost was considered ‘not good enough’ by their  _ own parents, _ and left to rot… A strange mix of sorrow and pride swirled in her chest for that little bug creature. Even if no one had believed in them at first, ultimately  _ they _ were the reason that Hallownest was still standing now.

Hornet stopped by a waterfall, where a brick tunnel led further down. “We’re here. The Royal Waterways.”

The Royal Waterways was a labyrinth of trash, pipes, valves, and puddles of water. Lion’s nose wrinkled as they walked, and Connie rubbed his head in sympathy. No matter where they went, water dripped somewhere nearby. Roads gave way to pits of water, and Connie was grateful that Lion could walk on water. 

A small lake stretched out in the dark waterways, and Pearl and Hornet both climbed onto Lion (though Hornet needed a bit of goading) to traverse it easily.

“The Godseeker should be right at the shore,” Hornet said.

The shoreline approached…

and there was nothing.

Nothing but trash and dirt outlining the trail of something big and heavy dragging itself along the ground into the water.

\---

The walk back to Dirtmouth was filled with anxious silence. The Godseeker was gone. None of them knew where she went. Hornet had told them that they needed to get back to Dirtmouth so that she could look at her maps to try and determine where the Godseeker went, and the trio went back without a word to one another. Too many thoughts were buzzing around them, and all of them were laced with fear.

Were Steven and Ghost okay? Connie hoped so.

… No. They had to be.

Lion slept outside of Hornet’s home in Dirtmouth, and Connie gave him pets as she passed through the door.

“Connie? Where are you going?”

Connie stopped to face Pearl, who was hunched over the maps as intently as Hornet was. Pearl gave Connie a look of concern, one that made guilt stick through her heart like a fish hook.

“Just… need to clear my head a moment, ma’am. Can’t do anything if you’re distracted, right?”

Pearl began to stand. “Connie… are you okay?”

Connie smiled nervously. “I-I’m fine, ma’am, I-I just need to… take a walk or something.”

Pearl, slowly, sat back down. “... Okay. We’ll be here if you need anything.”

“I-I’ll be right back, ma’am. You won’t even know I left!”

Connie’s smile disappeared the moment she shut the curtains to Hornet’s home. She ran her fingers through her hair and walked quickly away from the house as cold static started to fill her chest. She reached for something in her pockets, but felt nothing.  _ Dammit, I left my meds at home, oh god oh god oh god-- _

That cold numbness spread from her chest to her arms, her neck, her stomach, and her lungs felt like they were being compressed. She couldn’t think she couldn’t  _ breathe _ she couldn’t--

_ She’s gone and you don’t know where she is she could be out of Hallownest she could be dead she could be anything and anywhere and you can’t find her what if you never find her Steven and Ghost are going to be trapped there forever and you can’t do anything about it _

Connie’s fingers wrapped around strands of her hair and pulled hard as she forced herself to breathe deeply. She squeezed her eyes shut and remembered her therapist’s words--in for four seconds. Hold for seven. Out for eight.

_ It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay. _

Her hold on her hair slackened, and Connie opened her eyes again. She dragged her hands down her face--god, she felt like  _ shit. _ But she could breathe again. The trembling would go away in time, hopefully before Connie had to go back to Hornet and Pearl. She had to keep herself together. She had to. 

Something moved out of the corner of her eye.

Connie whipped around, facing the shadows surrounding Dirtmouth. Nothing. Just fog and rocks and the little glowing flies.

But she couldn’t shake the feeling of being  _ watched. _

Something moved again.

Connie instantly unsheathed her sword and spun again, blade pointed towards the darkness. She only saw movement--nothing distinguishable about it. Only moving shadows. Adrenaline shot through her body again, just after being calmed.

“Wh-who’s there?!” she silently cursed herself for the residual shake in her voice. “Show yourself!” 

Silence.

And then something moved from the shadows--no.  _ The shadows themselves moved. _

A creature of darkness rose up from the black. It looked like Hornet, with its curved head and horns, but bigger, and completely lacking a body. Instead, black tendrils made up its lower half, like some sort of cloak of shadows. Its curved eyes were glowing white, and a glowing crack split its face in half.

Connie backed away, but never lowered her sword. “Wh… who are you?”

The creature did not respond, but matched Connie’s steps with movement of its own. But it did not try to get  _ close _ to her; when Connie stopped moving, it stopped moving.

A thought struck her. “Can… you not speak?”

The shadowy creature shook its head. So it could  _ communicate _ . Slowly, slowly Connie lowered her sword. It didn’t seem to be  _ hostile, _ at any rate. "What... are you doing here?"  It did not respond, but it still looked at Connie expectantly. Connie anxiously swayed from foot to foot, never once breaking eye contact with the creature. "Um..."

Hornet and Pearl burst out of the home (scaring Lion and making him roll over), their weapons drawn. “Connie! We heard you yelling and--” Pearl caught sight of the shadow creature. “What is that.”

Hornet’s eyes went wide. “A Shade.”

“A Shade? Is it dangerous?”

“A Shade is the remnants of a Vessel.” Hornet lowered her own weapon and approached the Shade. “This... this is the Shade of the Hollow Knight.”

“ _ What?!” _

_ “The _ Hollow Knight?!” Connie stared up at the Shade in awe. “So… a Shade is like a ghost?”

“Of a sort.” Hornet tilted her head at the Hollow Knight. “But… rarely does a Shade appear on their own.”

The Hollow Knight drifted over to the entrance to Hornet’s home, and looked at her expectantly. Hesitantly, she followed after.

“Wait here,” she ordered the others before slipping through the curtains. Pearl put away her spear before immediately running over to Connie and putting her hands on her shoulders.

“Connie, are you alright? You’re not hurt?”

Connie giggled weakly as the adrenaline finally slowed in her system. “N-no, ma’am, I’m not hurt. Just a bit shaken up.”

Pearl sighed in relief. “Thank the stars--Hornet and I heard you yelling and thought that something was trying to get to you. Now I know you can handle yourself, but I still worry…”

Connie’s smile brightened a bit. “Thank you for worrying, ma’am.”

The Shade of the Hollow Knight appeared again, this time followed by Hornet, who was now holding a small, glowing blade. Connie’s eyes went big as she took in the shine.

“Whoa…! What is that?”

“This is the Dream Nail. The Hollow Knight wanted me to take it.”

Connie was tempted to ask where it was hidden to begin with--maybe later. Her brain was still trying to catch up with everything after that panic attack.

Pearl, thankfully, was still able to ask questions. “What does it do?”

“It can cut the veil between the waking world and the sleeping--meaning, it can allow its user to enter dreams. Why they want me to take it, though…”

The Hollow Knight floated past them and over to the well, the entrance to the Crossroads, and looked at the trio again.

Hornet glanced down at the Dream Nail, and then at Connie and Pearl. “They want us to follow.”

Connie swallowed, and then managed to find her voice again. “Do… do you know where the Godseeker is?”

The Hollow Knight nodded.

Hornet tucked the Dream Nail away in her cloak. “Then there is no time to waste. Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry connie


	10. Abyss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hornet, Connie, and Pearl follow the Hollow Knight deeper into Hallownest; Steven and Ghost face their next opponent.

The maps Hornet had didn’t do Hallownest justice, Connie noticed. Nothing could truly encapsulate the beauty and mystery of Hallownest. Only seeing it with your own two eyes could.

The Hollow Knight led them down through the Crossroads through a crowded graveyard, faces flickering in and out of the swirling mist. The hairs on Connie’s arms raised from the chill, and she pressed herself into Lion’s mane to keep warm. Countless graves lined the path they walked, culminating in what appeared to be two separate shrines. One was of three stone pillars, each with a unique mask carved into the tops. (Hornet gave a long look to the one with six eyes.) The other shrine appeared makeshift, with four small sculptures of dirt in a half-circle, with space for a fifth on the end. Connie didn’t at all recognize the shapes, but they appeared to be some important figures of Hallownest.

Down an elevator from the graveyard was possibly the most beautiful sight yet: an entire city built on blue-and-purple bricks and spirals, with beautifully decorated interiors devoid of all life and windows constantly pelted with rain. Water ran through the streets in dug-out troughs, almost like Venice, except there wasn’t a soul around besides the two of them. Only a couple homes were lit as they walked through the city, and Connie swore she heard a female voice humming from beyond a door. By the time they reached the next elevator shaft (that Lion had to warp to the bottom of, right next to the collapsed elevator itself), both Connie and Lion were drenched. Connie stepped off of Lion to wring out her hair, only to shriek when Lion shook the water out of his mane and wet her hair all over again.

Yet something lay beneath the city of eternal rain that made Connie uneasy. The Hollow Knight led them further down into the depths of Hallownest, where the air grew thick and cold. The rock around them turned beige with age; Lion kicked up dust wherever he walked. Whatever this place was, it was ancient, and it felt like Connie was walking through time itself the further they went down.

Her eyes wandered from place to place, sometimes following the deep carvings of some old creature in the rocks, sometimes set on the writhing thorns that hid in the natural nooks of the tunnels, and--

“Pearl?”

Pearl had been lagging behind Hornet and the Hollow Knight for some time, but the further they went down in this ancient basin, the slower she got. Her face was scrunched up in pain--she looked  _ ill. _ When she stumbled, Connie jumped off of Lion and was at her side in an instant.

“ _ Pearl!” _

Hornet ran over to them as the Hollow Knight stopped and hovered in place. “What’s happening?”

Pearl held on to Connie’s shoulder for support. Her form flickered blue for a moment, like some kind of computer glitch, before stabilizing again. Connie’s blood ran cold.

“Pearl? What’s wrong?!”

Pearl’s chest heaved, and her hand gripped Connie’s shoulder hard. “S-sorry… my form, it’s… something’s  _ interfering _ with it.” 

“Interfering how?”

“I-I don’t know! Gems can stay deep underground and out of the light for a long time, b-but something’s making it harder for me to stay stable…”

Hornet tilted her head. “You need light to create your form?”

A shake of the head from Pearl. “Our forms  _ are _ light.”

Hornet’s eyes widened. “The Void.”

“The  _ Void?” _

“It is… difficult to describe. But it is what all Vessels and Shades come from and ultimately return to. It is the ancient enemy of the Radiance--the opposite of light. We are drawing closer to the Void down here.” Maybe it was Connie’s imagination, but she swore she saw Hornet’s expression soften just a touch. “Will you be alright?”

Pearl breathed deep, summoning strength from nowhere, and stood straight. Determined fire blazed in her tired eyes. “I will.”

Anxiety pumped through Connie’s blood. Would she? Gently, Connie guided Pearl toward Lion.

“C’mon, Pearl, you need to conserve your energy.”

Pearl opened her mouth to argue, but only a sigh came out. “Thank you, Connie.”

Connie smiled wearily. “Of course, ma’am.”

As Connie helped Pearl onto Lion’s back, the Hollow Knight waited in an archway, shadows wrapping and warping around them. Whatever was beyond them was pitch-black.

Connie felt her stomach drop when they stepped onto the walkway.

It was a pit--a gigantic, gaping maw of pure darkness, like the mouth of an ancient creature that swallowed all light in its path. Was there even a bottom to it?

Hornet stood at the edge of the walkway, unperturbed. “Welcome to the Abyss--the first and final resting place of Vessels.”

Connie barely had time to register what Hornet said before Lion roared and summoned a portal, and after a whirl of wind and pink, Connie and Pearl found themselves at the bottom of the Abyss. Connie clamped her hands over her mouth.

Corpses. There were  _ corpses _ everywhere. Shells of broken Vessels filled the bottom of the Abyss in towering piles. Horns were snapped off, shells were cracked or shattered. Just mountains of the  _ dead _ surrounding them… Connie felt every nerve in her body come to life, and each one said to  _ get out of there. _

Yet she couldn’t help the hot pricks of tears in her eyes. All of these Vessels were the children of the King and the White Lady, and they were just  _ left here to die. _ There must have been thousands-- _ tens of thousands! _ Tens of thousands of little lives snuffed out because of the Pale King. Because of the White Lady. Because of the Radiance.

Connie shoved down the rising anger in her chest as Hornet and the Hollow Knight descended from above. There wasn’t any time to mourn right now. There were still people,  _ living _ people, that were in danger.

_ This is for Steven and Ghost, _ she told herself through every horrible crack of shells beneath Lion’s paws.  _ For them. For them. For them. _

As they walked, Connie watched the shadows move--little orbs of black rose up from the shells and took form as tinier versions of the Hollow Knight, with little bodies of tendrils, smaller horns, and glowing white eyes. These must be other Shades. They were all so small… They reminded Connie of Ghost. Though, she supposed that made sense… they were family, right? The new arrivals in the Abyss seemed to pique their interest, and they followed the Hollow Knight silently. Soon there was a river of Shades following their steps.

Hornet hummed as they came close to a river of black. “I seldom see the Shades working together in such harmony.”

Connie glanced down at the Shades by Lion’s feet, and one of them looked back up at her in return. She smiled nervously; it stared at her a moment longer before straightening its gaze.

She twisted around and put a hand on Pearl’s arm. “How are you holding up?”

Pearl looked worse than before, and she kept casting nervous glances towards the Shades, but she still managed a smile at Connie. “I-I’m fine.”

“Hang in there, Pearl…”

Lion had to warp them through the next parts of the Abyss, over a lake of Void and through tight cracks in the stone.

What awaited them was another corpse, this time of a huge, masked bug, one that held a bowl overflowing with Void. At its feet was the swollen, bloated body of the Godseeker, lying in a pool of Void and twitching. Black seeped from her eyes and to the ground.

While Hornet, Pearl, and Connie looked on in horror, the Hollow Knight simply drifted over to the Godseeker and hovered over her body.

“So…  _ that’s _ the Godseeker?” Connie carefully dismounted Lion and stood beside Hornet. “How… how do we wake her up?”

Hornet spoke quietly. “We can’t.”

“Wh-- _ what? _ Why not?”

“She has allowed the Void access to her mind. Waking her will do nothing but bring her back to the physical world with all the power that Void shall grant her. That, and… I do not know if it is even  _ possible _ to wake her now.”

Hornet held out the Dream Nail; its light caused some of the Shades to back away. Hornet turned to the Hollow Knight. “Is this why you wanted me to bring this?”

The Hollow Knight nodded.

Hornet held the Dream Nail firm. “I see. We have to go into the Godseeker’s dreams and defeat her there.”

Connie’s brow furrowed. “But… the last time I did that, she kicked me out of the dream!”

“I am to assume you did not use a Dream Nail to do so.”

“No… I just fell asleep next to Steven. He has dream powers of his own, so…”

“Then perhaps your proximity to him allowed you access to his dreams. But the Dream Nail cuts through the veil of reality itself; it shall allow a much stronger connection to the dream.”

Connie felt determination surge through her. “Right.” She turned to Pearl, and she bit the inside of her cheek. “... You should stay here, Pearl.”

“I…” Pearl didn’t seem to even have the energy to argue. She slumped on Lion’s back, before begrudgingly admitting, “I know. I can’t do much like this, and if there’s Void in the Godseeker’s dreams, then...”

After a moment’s silence, Hornet spoke. “We will need you to watch over our bodies. Our consciousness will be sent to the dream, but our bodies will remain here.”

Pearl nodded. “I’ll keep you safe.”

Connie gave Pearl an encouraging smile before going over to pet Lion. She whispered to him, “Keep her safe, too, okay?” Lion huffed in response and lightly licked Connie’s cheek.

Hornet and Connie stood before the body of the Godseeker as the Hollow Knight watched on. Hornet held out her skeleton-like hand. Connie blinked.

“... We must make contact in order to both enter the dream.”

“Oh! Oh, right, sorry.” Connie grasped Hornet’s hand firmly within her own.

Hornet held out the Dream Nail, and light gathered in its blade.

She swung, and the world exploded in white.

\---

Steven and Ghost sat with each other in comforting silence for who knows how long. Ghost had barely moved in Steven’s arms except for the occasional slight shift; Steven wondered if they could actually sleep in a dream. He smiled down at the little bug creature as they wrapped themselves tighter in their cloak--aww, they were just so  _ cute! _ The cold that their body emitted had long since seeped into Steven’s bones, but he was alright with that. Ghost needed the rest after…  _ that. _

Perhaps he needed a bit of a break, too. Those words from the fake Bismuth still rattled around his brain. Sure, maybe a  _ bit _ of his old baggage got dug up in the recent weeks following Spinel’s attack on Beach City, but it wasn’t  _ that _ bad. Why had the fake Bismuth said all of that? Why did she speak at  _ all? _ The other dreams they had fought hadn’t spoken. And those pink eyes... 

The Godseeker was getting more and more personal now. How much further would she go?  _ Why was she even doing this? _ Was this to just make them give up? Was it to break them down until they surrendered? She wanted to make him a ‘god,’ but what did that even  _ mean? _ He wasn't a god. He was a human.  


Steven felt light taps on his chest, and he saw Ghost sitting up in his arms and resting their little hands on his chest. Steven chuckled.

“Good morning, I guess? You kind of nodded off there.”

Ghost glanced at the door of light before looking back to Steven. Steven mirrored their look and sighed.   


“Yeah… yeah, I guess we should keep going.” Pause. “... Are you okay, Ghost?”

Ghost merely stared at him with their endless gaze, almost as if to ask,  _ are YOU okay? _

Steven sighed and forced a smile. “I’m okay, Ghost, I promise. I wasn’t the one who just had to face a family member like that.” Ghost (tried to) wrap their little arms around Steven, and he giggled again and hugged them back. “Thanks, Ghost. But... listen.” Steven’s voice softened, his sincere gaze meeting Ghost’s infinite one. “Whatever happens… we’re gonna get through this. Together. Promise?”

Ghost bounced in Steven’s arms before jumping up onto his shoulder and pressing their hand against his cheek in reassurance. _Promise._ Steven grinned and hopped to his feet.

“Okay! C’mon, Ghost, let’s get out of here!”

\---

Any confidence and energy that Steven had was instantly sucked out of him the moment they stepped through the door.

They were Rose’s fountain--his mom’s fountain. It was completely dry, with the entire area encased in the same brambles that had been at the real fountain the very first time Steven ever went there. Withered roses littered the ground, and the largest Rose Quartz statue at the top of the fountain was broken in half.

Seeing what was awaiting them made Steven’s legs give out, and he just barely registered that he fell backwards to the floor. (Poor Ghost gripped on the collar of his jacket just to stay steady.) Suddenly he couldn’t breathe, suddenly he couldn’t feel the rest of his body. Time slowed to a crawl.

No.

No no no no no no  _ no. _

There was a figure sitting at the bottom of the fountain, gently trying to untangle some of the brambles that had wrapped around the fountain. Towering stature, pink ringlets, ruffled white dress. 

Hearing Steven hit the ground made her turn.

Her pupils were pink.

She gasped. “Steven?” Her eyes lit up in excitement, and she smiled down at him. Her smile was warm and welcoming, and it made Steven sick to his stomach.

The word fell from his lips--fragile, quiet, quavering. Terrified.

“... Mom?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D


	11. Pink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Ghost face a skewed memory.

Rose Quartz clasped her hands together, stars shining in her eyes. She looked exactly as Steven had always imagined her: graceful, poised, elegant. Like how she was always described in stories from when he was younger.

“Steven… it’s really you!” 

She took a step closer to him.

Steven crawled backwards and held a protective arm in front of him. His eyes were fixed on his mother’s. “St-stay back!”

Rose stopped, her brow drawn in concern. “What… what’s wrong?”

“... What’s wrong?” The fear in Steven’s chest ignited into pure rage, like fire lights gasoline. “What’s _wrong?!_ _Sure_ , Mom, just pretend like you don’t know what’s wrong! Just pretend like everything’s fine! _Isn’t that what you always do?!”_ Part of him realized that this wasn’t really Rose Quartz, and was just some amalgamation of his memories created by the Godseeker.

Rose’s expression slowly turned dark, and her tone shifted to something equally as low. “I don’t appreciate your tone, Steven. I just wanted to see you.”

That part of him shut up pretty quickly.

Steven scoffed. “Oh, yeah, you  _ really _ wanted to see me, huh? Really wanted to see how I cleaned up all of your messes?! Yeah, real nice to see you, too,  _ Mom.” _

The pink in Rose’s eyes flared. “That’s enough!”

The raising of her voice was enough for Ghost to launch off of Steven’s shoulder and stand between them, blade at the ready. Rose blinked, curious, before she chuckled softly.

“Is this a friend of yours, Steven?”

“ _ Leave them alone!” _ A shield formed in front of Ghost, making them jump in surprise.

Rose’s amusement quickly vanished, and she held out her hand. “You shouldn’t use my own powers against me, Steven.” The shield trembled, before flying forward onto Rose’s arm. Steven felt cold dread and hot fury clash in his chest. So. She could control his powers. Great.  _ Fantastic. _

Ghost did not appear to be very amused either, as they dashed through Rose and slashed at her legs from behind.

“Wait, Ghost--!”

Rose whipped around and almost lazily knocked them aside.

“ _ Ghost!” _ All sense for Steven was instantly thrown out the window, and he scrambled to his feet to run to Ghost. Ghost was standing by the time Steven got there, hunched over and surrounding themself in white particles. It was something that Steven has seen them do a couple times during battle--he presumed that was them healing themself.

It was like fighting a mirror. Rose of course had all of his powers, and whenever he summoned a shield or a bubble, she could just as easily take it away from him. Ghost could dash through her bubbles and strike a few times before she would toss them back again, but it wasn’t nearly enough to take her down. Steven and Rose ended up playing magical tug-of-war for a shield just to give Ghost enough time to heal.

Steven “Rrgh--! This isn’t getting us anywhere!”

Rose’s pink eyes flared. “You can’t beat me, Steven. I know everything that you know!”

A light bulb went off. “Wait--that’s it!”

Steven, feet planted firmly on the ground, dug deep down within himself. He needed to summon power-- _ all _ of his power. His body trembled, muscles strained and nerves alight, as he summoned a massive shield and launched it towards Rose. Rose reached up a hand to catch it, but she stumbled back from the force of the throw. Both hands went up to hold the shield in place. Unstoppable force and immovable object. 

“Ghost! Now!”

If Rose could control everything he did, then he just had to create something that took  _ all _ of her control.

Ghost dashed through the shield and fired a round of spells at Rose, each blow knocking her back a few inches. They dashed forward again and swung their blade--   


“ENOUGH!”

Pink energy exploded from Rose, blowing Ghost’s tiny body to the edge of the arena. Rose growled and fired the shield back at Steven; he didn’t even have time to try to stop it. Suddenly the shield slammed into him, sending him onto his back before disappearing. Everything hurt, to the point where it was hard to breathe. Maybe using all of his power was a  _ bad _ idea. Before him now was a looming shadow, and Steven felt so terribly, terribly small.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ghost trapped in a bubble, viciously slashing at it to try and get out.

Steven’s voice wavered. “Let them go!”

“But why? I just want to see you, Steven.” Rose’s own voice was that soft, low tone that she always spoke with in that tape that he had nearly memorized by now. She smiled again, and held out a hand as she walked closer, as if she were to cup his cheek. Shaking, Steven crawled back, only to hit the back of his head against a wall. 

Her words were sickly sweet, like rancid honey.

“ _ I just want to see my boy.” _

Something whizzed past Rose’s face and stuck in the ground--it was a giant… needle? A giant needle, threaded with white silk.

“ _ GET AWAY FROM HIM!” _

Steven craned his neck around to look at the source of the familiar voice, only for  _ someone _ to use her sword to zipline down the silk thread and kick Rose square in the face. Rose fell backward with a cry and cradled her face. The someone landed in front of Steven, sword in hand.

Connie Maheswaren turned and offered Steven her free hand with a slight smirk.

“Need some help?”

Steven had to pull himself out of his awe to take Connie’s hand and stand up again. A wide smile crept up on his face.

“Connie… you made it! You actually made it!” 

Connie giggled. “Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“Not even for a second.”

The needle was pulled out of the ground, and just as quickly, another form appeared. Steven gasped.

“Oh, it’s you!”

A red dress and smoothly curved horns. That was that bug that was at the bedside of that spirit he and Ghost fought (well, ‘fought’). The bug tilted their head at him.

“Forgive me, but I do not believe we’ve met.”

“O-oh - right, sorry, I just--” Steven rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish chuckle. “--saw you in one of these dreams…”

The bubble holding back Ghost was gone, and they gleefully dashed over to the bug in the red dress and jumped into her arms.

“Oof--!” She stumbled back, just barely managing to catch them. Wearily, she giggled. “Hello to you, too, Little Ghost. I am… glad to see you’re alright.”

Connie gently squeezed Steven’s hand. “That’s Hornet. She’s Ghost’s sister.”

Steven’s eyes went wide. “No way!” But his surprise gave way to heartache. So that spirit that they faced… was that someone that Hornet was close to? Why else would Ghost have seen her?

The fake Rose Quartz began to glow white, and the four released each other and took defensive stances.

“The time for reunions is later,” Hornet said, brandishing her needle.

Connie pointed her own sword at the glowing form. “The time to fight is  _ now!” _

Rose’s form shifted, and her Gem turned downwards. In a flash of light, the person standing there was not Rose Quartz, but Pink Diamond. Her eyes were pure pink, without any trace of pupil.

Perhaps she was able to put up a decent fight against two people, but four proved to be a much more difficult balancing act for Pink Diamond. Steven and Connie moved in perfect tandem, like two streams merging into one, with Connie’s strikes always followed by Steven’s shield to protect them. Pink was too distracted to grab Steven’s shield when he was on the defensive. While Hornet and Ghost weren’t as in sync with each other as Connie and Steven, they seemed to be more coordinated to working with the humans. Hornet would sometimes use Connie’s sword as a launching board, while other times Connie would take advantage of Hornet tripping up Pink Diamond to get in an extra strike. Ghost and Steven worked just as fluidly, with Steven giving Ghost a boost into the air with his shield and Ghost being quick and agile enough to keep Pink distracted while the others prepared to attack again.

Pink Diamond growled in frustration and summoned two hexagonal shields. “I’ve had  _ QUITE ENOUGH OF YOU!” _

One of the shields slammed into Connie, Hornet, and Ghost, and pressed them up against the arena wall. The other separated Steven from them, and pushed him into the empty fountain. Connie, Hornet, and Ghost each struggled against the pressure of the shield, but it wouldn’t budge.

Pink Diamond slowly walked towards them, her hand extended. “As Rose Quartz I vowed to protect all life on this Earth… but as Pink Diamond,  _ I can be just as cruel as the others.” _

The shield slowly pushed them further against the wall, squishing them,  _ crushing them-- _

_ “STOP!” _

Steven’s voice made Pink Diamond twist around, and the shield stopped moving.

Steven, now free of the fountain, fell to his knees in front of Pink Diamond.

“... Stop. Please, just… just  _ stop. _ ”

To his surprise, the shield disappeared, and the three fell ungracefully to the floor. Pink Diamond didn’t move.

Steven couldn’t stop himself.

“I’m just… I’m just so  _ tired. _ ” Everything ached. His body, his mind, his heart. Everything felt weighed down by the sheer magnitude of what the past sixteen years of his existence had comprised of. “I’m tired of living in your shadow. I’m  _ tired _ of having you just  _ looming over us _ all the time. I’m tired of  _ constantly having to clean up your mistakes!” _ His eyes stung with tears, and his voice crackled as his throat closed up. “You hurt  _ so many _ people! And then  _ they _ want to hurt us! You lied to  _ everyone _ so you could just - just  _ avoid _ all of your problems! And then you made  _ me _ \--the  _ ultimate solution _ to avoid everything,  _ forever! _ ”

For a moment, Steven saw himself back in Rose’s room in the temple, facing the fake version of his mother as a small, scared child. Though, what was the difference now? He was  _ still _ just a small, scared child.

The difference was that now there were people to see the pitiful child that he was.

Pink Diamond glowed and shrunk down to Rose’s size, before she knelt down in front of him, full pink eyes soft with sympathy.

Steven choked back a sob. “... Y-you just  _ left _ everyone. You lied to everyone for  _ so long _ . You hurt Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, Bismuth,  _ all _ of the Crystal Gems, Jasper, all of Homeworld, the Diamonds,  _ Spinel… _ You hurt  _ Dad. _ And then  _ I _ had to fix all of it!” Tears flowed, unrestrained, down his cheeks. “... I-it’s just not  _ fair…” _ He felt so damn  _ childish _ saying it, but it was true. It  _ wasn’t _ fair. “I never asked for any of this. I never asked to be  _ made. _ But you just… gave me all of your problems. And I didn’t have a choice but to fix them.”

Pink Diamond gently took Steven’s hands in hers, but still did not say a word. She was warm, like a small ray of light.

Steven didn’t bother to wipe his tears away. “... But you’re not real. You’re not the real Pink Diamond. You’re just… just a dream.” Sniff. “The real Pink is… She’s gone. And she’s never coming back. I can never tell her this in person, or… or get her  _ real _ response. I’ll just… be wondering. And fixing her problems.”

His voice dropped to a shaky whisper. “Forever.”

“Steven.” Pink Diamond held Steven’s hands tighter in her own. “... You’re right. It’s not fair.” Steven stared in shock as Pink continued. “You shouldn’t have had to deal with my problems. I never wanted to give you that world. Do you remember the tape I left you?”

Steven swallowed and nodded. “... I watch it a lot these days.”

“Do you think I wanted to leave you that world? I was so excited to have you, even knowing what it would do to me… I wanted to give you a world that you would love to be in, to love  _ being _ in, and love  _ yourself _ in.” She smiled, a warm, motherly smile. “You are the best decision I ever made.”

Steven’s hand clamped over his mouth to muffle a sob, and Pink Diamond pulled him into an embrace that Steven quickly returned. He buried his face into Pink’s shoulder, reveling in the feeling of a hug from his mother--however fake it ultimately was.

“... And you’re right that I’m not the real Pink Diamond. But does that change how much you needed to hear this?”

Steven only sniffed in response.

“... And you know what, Steven? I’m sure that if the real Pink Diamond were here…” Pink broke the embrace and held his hands again; her pupils were black and shaped like diamonds. Her eyes glistened with tears. She brushed away Steven’s own tears with a thumb and smiled widely.

“... she would be so immensely proud of who you are.”

Pink Diamond leaned forward to press a soft kiss to Steven’s forehead, and she disappeared in a dim flash of light and a shower of dream particles. Steven blinked his watery eyes, so very suddenly missing the feel of his mother's hands holding his, her warm embrace, her gentle voice.  


But there was nothing. Maybe there never was at all. 

Step, step. Connie, hand over her mouth and eyes welling with tears, took a few cautious steps towards Steven. He shrunk under her sorrowful gaze, feeling hot shame spread across his cheeks. Connie broke out into a run and slid to the ground in front of Steven, throwing her arms around him and holding him tight. Steven held her back just as strongly--he just  _ needed _ that comforting pressure of a hug right then.

“Steven…”

Steven hiccuped and pressed his eyes into Connie’s neck. “... I-I’m sorry you had to see that…”

“Steven, don’t apologize!” Connie held him by his arms and blinked the tears from her eyes. “I… I had no idea you felt like that…”

Steven couldn’t bring himself to look at her. “I-I didn’t… I didn’t want to bother you…”

“Steven Universe, you could  _ never _ be a bother to me.” Through her tears, a fire roared in Connie’s eyes, and she carefully cupped Steven’s cheeks. Her thumbs brushed back and forth, a soothing gesture, and Steven leaned into her hand. “You--” Connie swallowed hard. “You are my best friend, and I don’t care  _ what _ it is, if you need to talk about something, you can  _ always _ come to me. I want to help you, like you’ve helped me! So please…”

(Oh. Their faces were rather close now. Not that Steven particularly minded…)

“... will you promise me that we’ll talk about this later? Just… all of this. You don’t have to do this alone, Steven.”

“Connie…” A hand of his own reached up to rest on one of Connie’s. He locked eyes with her, saw that fire, and felt his heart pound. But he also felt a bit of… relief? Reassurance? Even through his shame. Connie was there for him. As she had always been. But this felt different somehow. She was there for him, and even after seeing all of  _ that, _ she still stood by his side. A weird feeling coursed through his blood. (Oh, god, he was so in love.)

Steven nodded. “... Promise.”

Connie smiled, and the two shared another embrace before standing again. 

And the world went white.

\---

Steven barely had time to get his balance before Ghost suddenly jumped into his arms.

“Whoa--!” He giggled and hugged them. “Hey - are you alright?”

Ghost nodded, before they turned to face Hornet on the ground. They pointed to Hornet, and then tapped on Steven’s chest.

Hornet chuckled. “I believe that Ghost is trying to introduce us.” She bowed in greeting. “I am Hornet, princess protector of Hallownest.”

Steven managed a genuine smile. “Steven Universe. It’s nice to meet you, Hornet.”

All four of them sat down at the bench, their aches and pains going away the second they hit the seat. 

Connie sighed and stretched her arms. “Wow, we could use some of these benches at home!”

Steven giggled. “Could you imagine? Let’s just fill Beach City with magic benches. It’s a great idea.”

“Absolutely. No one will have any questions whatsoever.”

The two laughed together, and Steven didn’t realize just how much he missed this. It felt like forever since he was able to just laugh and relax with Connie. How long had it been? Besides this incident, he and Connie hadn’t seen each other face-to-face in at least two weeks.

As the two of them joked around, Ghost leaned over Steven’s arm to listen to Hornet.

“... Hallownest is safe. Your body is in Dirtmouth, where you last fell asleep. It was the Hollow Knight who brought us here, actually.”

Ghost perked up, head cocked slightly.

Steven suddenly turned to Hornet. “Wait-- _ the _ Hollow Knight?”

Hornet tilted her own head. “How do you know of the Hollow Knight?”

“Whenever I visit Ghost in their dreams, sometimes we’re in this city, and there’s this statue there…”

“The City of Tears, you mean.”

“Is that what it’s called?”

Hornet sighed and looked to Connie. “I believe we should all exchange our information. We’re going to talk in circles for hours if we don’t.”

Connie chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s catch you guys up to speed…”

\---

So they talked. For a while. They swapped stories of the past day(?), with Connie and Hornet filling in Steven on the backstory of Hallownest (he was particularly surprised to learn that tiny, adorable little Ghost  _ slayed a god _ ), while Steven explained what had happened in the dream (while leaving out… certain details from both sides of the fights).

Connie hummed and crossed her arms. “So… it sounds like the Godseeker really  _ is _ trying to wear you down so that you’ll submit to being a god.”

Steven huffed. “Well, I'm definitely  _ worn down, _ but I’m  _ not _ giving up.” Cold realization filled his mind. “Oh…” Sympathetic eyes turned down toward Ghost. “If… If I saw something as personal to me as my mom, then… you might see something like that too, Ghost.”

Ghost merely looked up at Steven, and Steven felt an aura of determination roll off of them. Steven hugged them a bit closer.

“Like I told you, Ghost… whatever happens in there, you have us. We’re here for you.”

Connie smiled brightly, and Hornet nodded in agreement.

Ghost hugged Steven back, and then faced the door.

Steven stood with a sudden surge of energy.

“Alright, guys--let’s go!”

\---

The Knight regretted that decision rather quickly.

Gray walls, endless white fog, white plants, and the ghosts of the Higher Beings that had once stayed here. And up ahead of them in a dark gray room was the throne.

The Knight wriggled out of Steven’s arms and approached it. Steven, Connie, and Hornet followed behind.

Up on the throne was the tattered corpse of the Pale King.

Hornet stepped back, horrified. “Is that…? Little Ghost, you’ve seen…?”

The Knight did not respond.

Suddenly a translucent wall--marked with the King’s Brand--came up between the Knight and the others, cutting them off from the throne. The knight flinched and ran over to the wall, trying to lower it with their own brand. Nothing happened.

“What the--?!”

“What is this?!”

“Little Ghost!”

A new voice boomed from nowhere.

“I was not expecting visitors.”

The corpse of the Pale King rattled.

The Knight spun around.

The Pale King slipped off of the throne and stood tall, examining the Knight with his void-like eyes.

“Welcome to my court.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHAHAHAHA  
> holy shit y'all ive been waiting since the very first chapter to write this scene  
> this has been in the works for a WHILE


	12. Pale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Knight faces an adversary.

The Knight heard Steven, Connie, and Hornet gasp behind them.

“Is that…?”

“The King?”

“It can’t…”

The Pale King ignored them, his gaze fixed upon the Knight.

“I see that one of my progeny has made its way to the White Palace.” 

Steven, hands pressed to the wall, glanced at the Knight. “Ghost? You’re... shaking.”

Were they? They didn’t realize. They could only focus on the burning acid pumping through their body. There he was. The Pale King, the Wyrm, the old King of Hallownest. The enemy of the Radiance, the creator of the Vessels, the shaper of the Hollow Knight. The Knight’s own blood father. This wasn’t the real Pale King, of course. It was just a dream conjured up by the Godseeker.

But that didn’t change how much the Knight wanted to run their nail through his head.

The Knight dashed directly at the Pale King, and they weren’t even able to swing their nail before the Pale King lazily lifted a hand and threw them aside. They think they heard the others call their name before their tiny body hit the floor.

The Pale King scoffed. “You dare to raise your nail against  _ me?” _

“ _ Leave them alone!” _ The Knight wasn’t used to hearing such  _ panic _ in Hornet’s voice. The Knight pushed themself back onto their feet, hands holding tightly on their nail.

The Pale King stood over the Knight, ignoring Hornet’s words. “Have you come all the way to my throne room just to try and attack me? You should have simply stayed in the Abyss like the others.”

Again the King tossed the Knight aside, this time to the opposite end of the room.

_ “Stop it!” _ Steven pounded his fists on the wall of light. “You’re hurting them!”

“It is a Vessel. Vessels do not feel.”

The Knight tried again to stand, but their body suddenly felt so heavy. They knew already.

They knew that they were a Vessel, and Vessels didn’t feel. But that burning, unrelenting heat in their chest refused to go away. They wanted to chop the King’s head off. They wanted to crack his shell into a million pieces. They wanted to make him feel even a  _ fraction _ of the pain that the Vessels felt.

“How can you  _ say _ that?!” Connie’s hands, pushing against the wall, curled into fists. “Ghost is your  _ child! _ The Vessels are your  _ children! _ ”

“They are spawn to me as seeds are to a flower. The strongest survive. The weakest do not.”

“But Vessels aren’t  _ seeds! _ They’re  _ living beings! _ With thoughts, and feelings, and--”

“Exactly why those Vessels are defective.” 

The Pale King’s eyes traveled across the Knight’s form, his judgmental gaze gaining a hint of disgust. “No mind to think. No will to break. No voice to cry suffering. That is a perfect Vessel. A Pure Vessel. But this one you are so attached to--it is imperfect. Surely you must see that.”

The Knight glanced over to see Steven and Connie shaking with rage.

Hornet grasped her needle so tight she was trembling. “Enough of you! Perfect or not, Little Ghost has gone far beyond even the strongest warrior in Hallownest. Far beyond even what  _ you _ have done!”

“Oh? But you fail to see the  _ true _ Vessel.”

“What are you--”

One, three, five translucent beings appeared by the Pale King’s side. The hot rage in the Knight’s body turned to cold sorrow. No… no, they knew these faces.

Cloth. Myla. Tiso. The Grey Mourner. Quirrel.

They all stared at the Knight expectantly.

“You see these travelers? These citizens of Hallownest? What happened to them, Vessel?”

_ No… _

Suddenly there were corpses, a miner driven to madness, an empty spot, and a singular nail driven into the ground.

“Ah, yes, that’s right. They’re all gone now.” The Pale King’s eyes narrowed. “Because you  _ failed _ them, Vessel.”

“Ghost…?” Steven’s concerned call was drowned out in the buzzing that the Knight felt in their shell.

_ No, no, I tried to save them, I wanted to save them, it was too late, I couldn’t do anything for them, I miss them, I want them back-- _

“This Vessel failed them. This Vessel will fail  _ you.” _ The King turned his attention to the three behind the wall. “Don’t you know? The Vessel is waiting for it. It’s waiting for when you inevitably leave, just as they all have. Will you be killed by the Traitor Lord? Or in the Colosseum of Fools? Will you just disappear? Will you fall to the plague?”

“Ghost…” Connie’s sympathy only filled the Knight with shame.

“This Vessel will fail to protect you. And you will leave. Just as they all have. But what does it matter? The Vessel feels nothing. And such an impure thing cannot mourn the loss of those it never deserved to begin with.”

The Knight fell to their knees as thoughts bombarded their head. Everything was so loud,  _ loud, _ it was  _ too loud-- _

_ He’s right. _

_ You never deserved them. _

_ They’re gone and you couldn’t do anything. _

_ You were born wrong. _

_ Of course you couldn’t do anything. _

_ You’re impure. _ __

_ You're going to fail them. _

_ Just like you failed everyone else. _

“ _ You’re wrong! _ ”

The Knight snapped their head around to face Steven, who was glaring at the Pale King with a venom unlike anything the Knight had ever seen from him.

“Ghost saved an entire kingdom! Ghost let me sit with them and look over Hallownest! Ghost has always been so excited to show me things! They’d protect me, comfort me, worry over me--could someone not meant to feel do any of that?!”

“Steven is correct!” Hornet placed her own hands on the wall. “Little Ghost has proven that they are far beyond what you had told them to be. They chose to protect Hallownest. They _chose_ to help its people! They chose to slay the Radiance and kill the Infection at the source! Something thought impossible!”

The Pale King laughed. “Then you have all fallen for its trickery. It was never made to think, or feel. Perhaps it is only copying how you act. It is only the  _ facade _ of feeling.”

“That’s not true, and you know it!” Connie’s fists shook against the wall. "So which is it, King? Can Ghost think for themself or not? Are they 'pure' in your eyes, or can they feel?"  


“Yeah!” Steven hit the wall again, though it still did not move. “Ghost can feel and think for themself! We  _ know _ they can! Your definition of 'pure' is completely wrong!”

“You foolish Wyrms know  _ nothing, _ ” the King spat. “This Vessel had _something_ inside them. Something _wrong._ Though they cannot feel, they are impure. A Vessel is but a  _ thing. _ An unthinking, unfeeling--”

**_SILENCE!_ **

The ground shook as voices surrounded the throne room. Loud, warbling voices, uncertain in their sound but confident in their existence. The visions of spirits blew away like dust. Shadows flooded the room, avoiding Steven, Connie, and Hornet and leaving them in a small circle of untouched floor. The darkness ran straight through the wall as if it were made of air. Dozens and dozens of little pairs of white eyes appeared in the darkness, their gazes fixed on the Pale King.

The voices spoke again.

**_YOU KNOW NOTHING OF WHO I AM._ **

The Pale King slowly, carefully began to back away from the encroaching darkness.

“What… No, it can’t...!”

Steven and Connie glanced between each other, and then to Hornet, who could only stare in shock.

“The Void… Little Ghost is speaking  _ through the Void.” _

**_YOU CREATED ME, CREATED US, JUST TO THROW US AWAY._ **

The Knight took a step forward.

**_YOU RAISED MY SIBLING AS A TOOL FOR YOUR SELFISH DESIRES._ **

**_YOU LEFT THE HOLLOW KNIGHT TO SUFFER UNTIL ITS LAST BREATH._ **

**_YOU LEFT ME AND MY SIBLINGS TO DIE._ **

**_I WAS NOT PERFECT ENOUGH FOR YOU. I WAS NOT PURE ENOUGH FOR YOU._ **

Step.

**_I LAY TRAPPED IN THE DARK PLACE FOR YEARS._ **

**_YET I..._ **

**_I CLAWED MY WAY OUT._ **

**_I TRAVERSED THE DEEPEST REACHES OF HALLOWNEST._ **

**_I KILLED ITS MIGHTIEST WARRIORS._ **

**_I PICKED UP THE PIECES OF YOUR BROKEN KINGDOM._ **

**_I HAD TO CLEAN UP THE MESS YOU MADE._ **

Step.

**_I AM THE KING OF HALLOWNEST._ **

**_I AM THE ONE WHO KILLED THE RADIANCE._ **

**_I ACCOMPLISHED WHAT YOU FAILED TO DO._ **

**_I WILL LET THIS KINGDOM FINALLY DIE, AND THEN HELP SOMETHING NEW GROW FROM ITS ASHES._ **

**_AND I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO LINGER HERE ANYMORE._ **

Step.

**_NO MIND TO THINK._ **

**_NO WILL TO BREAK._ **

**_NO VOICE TO CRY SUFFERING._ **

The ground before the Knight cracked and shifted. The Pale King tried to keep his balance, but collapsed to the floor. Shadows leaned over him.

**_MY MIND IS MY OWN._ **

**_MY WILL IS UNBREAKING._ **

**_AND MY VOICE SHALL CRY OUT AGAIN._ **

Feathered tendrils reached out and grasped the Pale King’s arms, holding him in place. He struggled against their grip, but it was already too late. Darkness pooled below him, and he pitched forward as his feet sank into the black. Streams of dream particles burst from him like pressured steam, drowning out his cries for help.

In an instant, he was pulled under.

The shadows faded, though they clung to the edges of the arena. The Knight’s Siblings floated nearby, as though awaiting something.

The Shade of the Hollow Knight rose from the darkness and drifted over to the three still behind the wall, horrified at what they had just seen. The Hollow Knight glanced back at where the image of the Pale King had once stood, almost… wistfully? But they turned back to the wall and dug their sharp fingers into it. They dragged their clawed hands down, tearing through the branded wall, only leaving dream particles behind.

The Knight couldn’t look at their expressions of terror. They themselves were unsure of what just happened; they had never…  _ spoken _ before. Their thoughts were always internal, with no way to get out...

It felt kind of good.

But not at the cost of terrifying their friends.

“... Little Ghost?”

Hornet stepped forward with a strange caution--a soft caution. “Is… that what you truly think of yourself?”

The Knight’s empty gaze dropped in shame.

“... Little Ghost.”

Step, step, step towards the Knight, before she placed her hands on either side of their shell and lifted up their head.

“Listen to me. You are possibly the most wonderfully strange creature I have ever met. No matter who you were born to be… what matters is who you  _ are _ now. And you are the strongest warrior in Hallownest. You are its king. You are a god-slayer. You are strong, and kind, and purely  _ you. _ ”

Her voice became gentle, and the Knight tensed when she knelt down and  _ hugged _ them.

“... You are my sibling. And I am honored to be your sister.”

The Knight threw their arms around Hornet in return and hugged her tight. They hoped that this hug could show her their gratitude and relief.  _ Thank you. Thank you. Hearing that means everything to me. Thank you. _

"... Some days I fear that I may lose _you,_ as well."

The Knight was... surprised to hear that. From Hornet, of all people. She almost seemed... ashamed to say that.

"But I swear that so long as I draw breath, I will be with you. I shall not leave my family behind."

The Knight held Hornet just a smidgen tighter to let her know that the sentiment was returned.

_ Thank you, Hornet. I am just as honored to be your sibling. _

Hornet broke the embrace just as the Knight was suddenly swept into Steven’s arms, and the Knight hugged him back as well.

“Are you okay, Ghost? I have no idea what you did just then, but…” 

The Knight reached up and patted Steven’s cheek, and Steven grinned. 

“I’m so glad…”

“That was  _ incredible! _ ” Connie’s eyes were bright with stars, her look of terror replaced with one of sheer awe. “What  _ was _ that?!”

“Little Ghost has control of the Void.” Hornet gestured to the abundance of Siblings around them. “With the Void now in the Godseeker, it must have responded to Little Ghost’s wants. Or…” She met the eyes of the Hollow Knight. “... Perhaps their family simply wished to help.”

The Hollow Knight floated over to Steven, and the Knight excitedly stretched out a hand towards them in greeting and thanks. The Hollow Knight stared at their hand before touching their nubby hand with one of their clawed fingers.

There was no light this time that brought them back to the bench room. Instead, only a door opened on the other side of the throne room. The Void crowded around the light of the door, eagerly awaiting the moment to strike.

The Knight and Steven met each other’s fiery gaze and nodded. Steven set the Knight down on the ground.

“I think this is it, guys.”

Connie unsheathed her sword. “You think the Godseeker’s just beyond here?”

White thread lashed around Hornet. “Then she is the last thing between us and freedom.”

Steven nodded. “Then let’s do this.”

The Knight raised up their Pure Nail in agreement, the light within them burning brightly once more.

They were almost home.

The four of them, empowered by each other’s presences, walked together into the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i fucking forgot how to write  
> anyway im emotional over siblings and also the knight's perception of themself


End file.
